Haunted
by PhantomThorns
Summary: Haunted by his dark past, when Vlad Masters meets a kindred spirit who also happens to be half-ghost he decides to win the heart of Maddie's daughter Danielle instead because he's the only one who could ever truly understand her and her current situation. But can she bring herself fall in love with someone so ruthless and dangerous...? (Rated T for mild sex with genderbent Danny)
1. Obsession

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** Yes, looks like I'm doing another Danny Phantom story but with a twist. This is a partial AU where again, the characters are slightly older than the ones in the show AND some of them are gender-bent versions based off of Amethyst-Ocean's artwork _(which I don't own btw I'm just using part of it for cover art_). For the most part, it will only be the teenage characters who are gender-bent and everyone else is the same...namely Vlad Masters himself. Also when I refer to Danny as Danielle I mean that this is the gender-bent version of the main character and not his clone, she doesn't exist in this story since I don't plan to go that far in the show's timeline. Also, in real life I do NOT approve of adults having feelings for younger teens/children or vice versa so if that makes anyone uncomfortable please leave now and read something a bit more...wholesome. Not sure how long this story will be, but I just can't get this idea out of my head of Vlad interacting with a female Danny instead of the one that we know. I thought about posting this on my other profile but then...I wanted to keep the romantic undertones in so meh. Anyways this story is starting right at the part of _"Bitter Reunions"_ when the rest of them meet Vlad for the first time, and needless to say, his reaction to this Danny is very different once he learns her secret...

**P.S.** I changed the rating from M to T because at this point this story really isn't that intense with the romantic end of things. They're still going to get together eventually but it will be a more subtle seduction.

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Obsession

* * *

Danielle's POV

At first, I thought this whole vacation thing was going to be stupid and boring but hey, at least it meant I'd get a few days off of school right? And the only reason we were even here is because Jason, my nosy older brother, just had to open his big mouth and tell mom and dad that they should try to share more about their past so we could relate more about what I was going through or whatever. What they didn't know was that it was mainly ghost fighting that's been getting in the way of EVERYTHING lately. My grades were in the toilet, I was almost always coming home late, I kept falling asleep in class, it was getting pretty bad. But I was still doing my best trying to deal with it. I had to.

Besides I'm still getting used to having these powers and hiding them from everyone, which was still a bit hard to do when they had this bad habit of misfiring at the worse times. It's only thanks to their one-track minds that my parents haven't already noticed and dissected me. Then again if it wasn't about ghosts they hardly noticed anything except for what was right in front of them. That, or everything I was doing wrong...

Go figure.

Anyways, after hearing more about dad's old college buddy Vlad Masters and finding out he had an accident similar to mine with some kind of...pre-ghost portal my heart went out to the guy. That must have hurt like hell. He's just lucky that didn't make him half-ghost too, because as cool as it was at first, sometimes it really sucks. Thankfully it sounds like Mr. Masters eventually recovered from his ecto-acne so he probably turned out pretty normal after that. Lucky. I could only imagine what he must look like now. Jason has clearly heard of him before, but I had no idea what to expect. I wondered if Vlad was still mad at our dad for hurting him by mistake too. Because if he was, this was going to be a really awkward visit...

Turns out I was right on the money too.

The moment Vlad Masters stepped out of the shadows and I saw him for the first time, my heart gave a little thump and I blushed. _Oh, wow...he's kinda hot._ Thankfully no one else seemed to notice how deeply I was blushing after Vlad graciously ushered us inside and he _'accidentally'_ ended up shutting my dad out. Lovely, so I guess it wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows after all. Either way, I tried to distract myself by looking around his mansion slash castle, but Jason was the first to point out all the green and gold decor. I noticed it too but it really wasn't as gaudy as he was making it out to be. Guess Jason was still in a pretty bad mood after the ecto goop incident yesterday.

I rolled my eyes at his comment and pointed out the obvious, "Jace hello? Football helmets, jersey's, cheese-heads? He's a Packer's fanatic!" I smirked, crossing my arms because it was always nice when I knew something my brother didn't even if it was just because he didn't really care.

My smile faded however when I felt Vlad's hand rest on my head as he ruffled my hair affectionately. Thank GOD I wasn't facing him though because my blush was back in full force and it took all of my willpower to not reflexively turn intangible to escape his touch since this was beyond embarrassing. The contact was brief, but his hand felt so warm, almost unnaturally so and I couldn't figure out why I was getting so flustered around this guy. He was like some famous movie star or a character on TV you have a crush on even though they're obviously older than you. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the moment I saw Vlad something about him felt...otherworldly and mysterious. I felt drawn to him and couldn't help myself since I was all about a man of mystery.

I also thought it was kinda cute when Vlad childishly blew up at Jason after he asked Vlad why he hadn't bought the Packers team itself and snickered. But then I noticed Vlad was kinda flirting with our mom, which was weird, so I wondered if I was just feeling randomly jealous that he was paying so much attention to her or maybe I was being stupid and reading too much into it. I tried asking Jason about it to see if he thought they were flirting, but he just blew me off. Gee, thanks you jerk...

I sighed, _Well, it IS your fault we're here too, so don't get mad at me that we're stuck here for the next two days. It's not like I want to be here either._

After that, when things became a little uncomfortable again after I noticed a signed football that Vlad seemed very proud of and dad tackled him. He was only trying to be funny I guess, but it just made Vlad angry. For a minute there I had a bad feeling dad was going to get us kicked out before this reunion even started which sucked now that I actually had more of a reason to want to stay. And that reason was that I wanted to get to know Vlad Masters more because, well, I kinda had a huge unexplainable crush on him now.

Thankfully things smoothed over not long after and Vlad even offered to let us stay IN his castle which was freaking awesome! I did NOT want to spend another night crammed in the RV again if I could help it.

* * *

Vlad's POV

Everything was going according to plan thanks to Jack accepting my offer to stay within the confines of my castle, unknowingly making himself an easier target. However, I must say that while I was delighted to see my dear Maddie for the first time in years I was taken aback by how lovely their daughter was after seeing my first real glimpse of her. I've been keeping tabs on the Fenton's over the years while plotting my revenge and knew they had a daughter and an older son, but my ultimate goal was always to win Maddie over and destroy Jack so I've never actually seen their children. I only wanted to make sure that once Maddie was mine I'd become a better father to them than he ever was. The moment I saw young Danielle though with her long raven black hair, fair skin, and sky blue eyes, I could only admire how much she took after her mother despite the similar hair and eye color which was more like her father's.

Danielle's bashful reactions earlier were rather adorable as well.

Still, I had much bigger things to worry about such as getting rid of a certain big oaf who was standing in the way of winning back the love of my life. That's why that very night I put the first phase of my plan into motion and sent my vultures after Jack as soon as he went he was well out of earshot of Maddie as he haphazardly made his way to the nearest restroom since I made sure to put them in a room that didn't include one like most of the others in the castle. A rather childish antic I know, but it was effective. I was surprised though when I sensed the presence of another ghost and Jack suddenly phased through the floor.

_What on earth?_ I wondered since my vultures weren't responsible for this, they weren't that smart...

Intrigued, I continued to observe the situation and my eyes widened as none other than the infamous ghost girl of Amity Park phased through the floor and appeared behind them. Her stunning white hair almost seemed to be glowing even brighter in the moonlight as it floated around and bathed her slender shoulders; a coy smile decorating her face as she lightly punched the palm of her other hand, clearly intent on fighting my underlings. Then she asked them if they remembered her, trying to act all tough.

Oh yes, they certainly did remember her, but honestly, it wasn't hard to frighten them. The three of them returned to me to complain about the ghost girl stopping them the last time I sent them after Jack, which irritated me but this time it still seemed rather odd that she went out of her way to track them so far from her territory. And that territory seemed to be Amity Park itself that she fought very diligently to defend. Either way, they fled soon after seeing her again and she was right, it was a little too easy to scare them off. But that was because they understood that _I_ was the one they should really be afraid of.

As I examined the ghost girl more closely, I couldn't help but feel there was also something oddly familiar about her so I decided to investigate this further before revealing myself. The poor girl assumed I was just like any other ghost and it was rather amusing to see her fruitlessly put everything she had into her attacks in the vain hope of besting me. It was obvious that the foolish young ghost was outmatched, but even so, she seemed both awed and confused by my presence, not to mention bewildered when I revealed to her that I've already heard all about this '_Dani Phantom,'_ who for whatever reason called herself a hero who fought other ghosts to defend humans.

Very unusual behavior for a ghost I must say.

She also seemed morbidly curious about me too which made it easy to coax her into the library so we were a little further out of the way before I decided to see how strong this _'hero'_ really was. Sadly, her powers and combat skills were no match for mine, as expected. But even so, I held back since I didn't see the point in destroying her. As long as this ghost girl didn't get in my way again I had no reason to. And besides, ghost or not Dani Phantom was still a lady and I made it a point not to treat them too roughly unless they deserved it. It wasn't long before I defeated the naive and inexperienced ghost girl and sent her flying through the opposite wall battered and bruised...

I followed after her, planning to have my vulture's drop the ghost girl off somewhere outside where she couldn't interfere again when I saw her glowing green eyes flutter weakly as she struggled to stay awake and then completely lost consciousness. The moment this happened, a ring of light appeared at her waist similar to my own black ones and it split in two to reveal...Jack and Maddie's daughter, Danielle, lying sprawled on the floor with her sleek black hair pooled all around her...

I was taken aback, not expecting this at all and mused thoughtfully, "The ghost girl...is Jack's daughter?"

Oh, this opportunity was too perfect to pass up. No wonder she seemed familiar, we were both half-ghost! This was...unusual and very unexpected to say the least but this meant I wasn't alone! I wasn't the only one of my kind. That's why, as I stared down at the unconscious teenager, my original intentions for this vendetta changed dramatically.

While it was true that I still loved Maddie, in the end, I argued that we would probably never really be able to connect that deeply even if I did seduce her since revealing my secret to Maddie was out of the question. She'd despise me as she despises all ghosts, but with Danielle, that was another matter entirely. True she was still very young and turning my attention towards winning her affections over Maddie's was considered taboo, but then again, so was murder. And part of me STILL wanted Jack dead. But honestly, so long as he was out of the picture I could entertain the idea of letting him live. Especially since murdering Danielle's father wasn't exactly going to do me any favors or help me gain her trust even if I did take the time to slowly worm my way into their lives as an _'old friend'_ to her parents and revealed my secret to this girl.

Either way, I had a choice. To either go through with my plans to humiliate Jack and destroy him as Plasmius, or wait a while longer and make Danielle an offer she couldn't refuse. Whatever I decided to do however, it seemed far more profitable to bring Danielle over to my side where she would be safe and I could teach her everything I knew. It was far better than learning the hard way how alone she'd be otherwise...

Kneeling down after changing back to my human form and considering my options, I deftly lifted Danielle into my arms and her head rolled until it came to a rest against my chest and I could hear her breathing softly. I must admit, I already thought she was a very lovely girl but I set those feelings aside since it seemed inappropriate to find a teenage girl even remotely attractive. After all, before this, I fully intended to woo their mother into leaving Jack and becoming MY wife. Only now things were different.

Now I understood why I felt this connection between us the moment I met Danielle. She was the same as me and likely suffered a similar pain and felt the same isolation as I did when I became half-ghost. The poor girl was clearly trying to make the most of it, but still seemed lost and was stumbling blindly through the dark trying to figure out how to control her gifts. I could guide her though, and together we would be a force to be reckoned with! With that in mind, I gently carried Danielle back to her room and tucked her into bed.

After brushing some hair out of her face, smiling as I leaned over her as if sealing a promise I pressed my lips to Danielle's and whispered, "I originally wanted your mother, but I think I'll make you mine instead, my dear. Don't worry, you're not alone anymore..."

* * *

Danielle's POV

Tossing and turning in a fitful sleep, I recalled a dizzying mess of what happened to me earlier with that strange Dracula-like ghost beating the crap out of me and yet I felt a strange thrill ran up my spine when I heard a familiar voice whisper to me _"...I think I'll make you mine instead, my dear. Don't worry, you're not alone anymore..."_

After that, I felt a large pair of strong arms wrap themselves around me possessively and no matter how hard I struggling I couldn't get away! My heart started racing too when he tightened his grip and nuzzled his cheek against the back of my neck before kissing it. This was wrong, like really wrong! Why the heck was I having a dream like this?! Is it because he looked like a vampire and it reminded me of all those forbidden romance books and movies about these hot guys who were WAY older than the girl they were dating but somehow that was ok since they still looked young? Either way, this was creeping me out and I felt super guilty for imagining Vlad's voice coming from this ghost so I shouted-

"N-no! Get away!" I yelped, tossing the covers off of my head and breathing heavily.

Wait, covers? How the heck did I get back to bed? Was that whole fight...a dream? Wincing and reaching up, I felt the bump on the back of my head from when that ghost in the cape threw me against a wall throb and I realized, nope, all that was real. Thankfully my ghost powers healed most of my wounds which was good since no one would ask me any weird questions, but I was still confused. Why did that ghost spare me...?

Either way, after looking around in a bewildered daze while probably looking like a total idiot, I suddenly heard the real Vlad's voice from the other side of the doorway before it creaked open. I watched him closely as he stepped inside and moved closer to the bed after stepping out of the shadows like some creeper, which weirded me out. Guess Vlad liked acting spooky since he lived in a castle or something like that. Still, Vlad seemed genuinely worried about me when he asked what happened so I hastily told him I was fine and must have been sleepwalking which is how I ended up in the middle of the hallway.

For some reason though, I suddenly felt like elaborating after pulling the covers up higher after noticing one of the buttons was missing and uh...exposed a little too much of my chest, and sighed heavily, "The truth is...I haven't been sleeping well lately. Too much stress from school I guess. I'm just...I'm trying to be a good student, but my parents always put so much pressure on me and tell me my grades have to be as good as my brother Jason's and they get so mad at me every time I get a C! But not everyone is a freaking protege! I wish they would just...back off a bit, you know? I'm doing the best I can."

Looking at me sympathetically, Vlad walked around to sit on the edge of my bed and smiled at me. Then while resting a hand on my knee he kindly offered, "Would you like to talk about it, my dear? It might help."

Blushing again, I looked away and stammered, "N-no, it's fine. Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything about it. It's not fair to dump that on someone I just met. Besides, I already made you worry enough as it is by collapsing in the hallway like that. I mean...it was you who found me, right?"

Vlad nodded, "Yes I did, and I must say you certainly looked troubled even in your sleep so I believe you when you say you've been feeling restless. At any rate, my offer still stands if you ever need to talk to someone. But your right, perhaps it's best if we wait until tomorrow to talk some more so you can get some proper rest..." after that, he gently took me by the shoulders and eased me back into bed, pulling the blanket back up over them, and to my surprise, Vlad placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and smiled warmly while petting my hair, reassuring me, "Don't worry, things will get better soon. I promise. Sleep tight...little badger."

"T-thanks," I whispered shyly and almost too quietly to hear, my heart racing and my voice sounding high pitched as I internally started to scream.

_Oh my god! He kissed me! Sure it was only on my forehead but he kissed me! I could die from the embarrassment alone right now! What's with that nickname though...? _ I wondered, watching as Vlad left the room and closed the door behind him, unaware that he already HAD kissed me on the lips too and that before this trip was over...I'd have another ghost besides Skulker looking to claim me as some sort of _'prize.' _


	2. Tension

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

* * *

**Chapter 2: **Tension

* * *

Danielle's POV

The next morning, we ended up having breakfast with Vlad since he insisted on getting to know Jason and me better and said he wanted to reminisce about their college days with us before the reunion started sometime around noon. I still felt awkward after what happened last night and on edge since I didn't know if those buzzards were still up to something or where that vampire-looking one wandered off to, but either way I was just glad my dad was ok. I was still pretty exhausted though so when I stifled a yawn, Vlad, who had been holding the door open for us as we entered his dining room, stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder and asked if I was doing alright.

I smiled at him since it was nice to actually have someone notice when I was tired or wasn't feeling well besides my brother and replied, "Yeah I'm ok. I'm just not used to getting up so early. I get why we had to, but knowing me I would have much rather slept in for as long as possible."

"That's a relief," Vlad nodded, smiling in return and letting go of my shoulder so he could finish closing the door behind us.

I ended up sitting on the other side of Vlad while my parents and Jason chose to sit on the opposite side of the table. And I know this is going to sound stupid, but it made them feel so far away like we weren't even on the same planet anymore. That made me really sad for some reason so I sighed and wordlessly began digging into the pancakes stacked on my plate, not really that worried about my table manners until I noticed Vlad staring at me. I pretended not to notice at first, but then I could feel my cheeks burning and I unconsciously started to eat much slower and taking smaller bites. Was he still worried about me...? Or was there something on my face?

"Um, Mr. Masters? I'm really ok you know," I laughed nervously while my mom was distracted because she was busy scolding dad and telling him not to eat so fast since he nearly choked after stuffing a whole pancake into his mouth.

Coughing into his fist, Vlad replied meekly, "I apologize for staring Danielle, and please, call me Vlad. At any rate, I was actually thinking about what you told me last night, wondering how to broach the question without your parents becoming too concerned. Sleep deprivation can become a serious problem if not addressed right away."

_It's nothing new sadly, _I thought to myself but when I opened my mouth to reply, I guess mom only heard the first half of that and asked, "Dani, is something wrong sweetheart? What's Vlad talking about?"

Visibly tensing since my gut reaction was to deny everything, sadly Vlad was quicker with his response and waved his hand dismissively as he explained, "There's no need for concern Maddie, I found Danielle sleepwalking last night and brought her safely back to her room. Once she woke up enough she told me a little about what's been bothering her lately and if it's not too impertinent of me to say, you really should try trusting your daughter more. The unrealistic expectations you have for her have resulted in many sleepless nights and the reason she's been missing cerfew so often is because she's been staying over at a friend's house late while trying to study in hopes of raising her grades to meet your standards. And this has sadly resulted in poor grades due to lack of sleep and therefore impaired focus. Isn't that right Danielle?"

I blinked since Vlad was actually right about a lot of that even though there was ghost fighting too, but what surprised me more was how he was...defending me. I was taken aback that he'd care so much about my education when I hardly knew the man. Still, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside that it seemed like he had my back so I had to resist the urge to smile. That wasn't a problem though when mom unexpectedly frowned and told him-

"That's no excuse for her behavoir, Vlad. If that really were the case then it sounds like more of a time management issue. I agree that she should make sure to get plenty of sleep, but if studying with her friends isn't helping or they're just goofing off otherwise then maybe Danielle should consider asking someone to be her tutor. Jason already offered to do that for her and she refused."

As soon as she said that, my hands curled into fists, and I rushed to my feet then blurted out angrily, "I already have to LIVE with Mr. Grade-A-Student, so why should I have to study with him too?! I already feel like an idiot compared to him at school, which is something you and everyone else just loves to constantly remind me of! But Vlad's right, I AM trying mom! I really am! Isn't that enough for you?"

"Danielle, sit down and don't raise your voice," mom scolded but I stood my ground.

After that, while still eating dad chimed in and said, "Dani, listen to your mother. Besides, it's not just your grades, you're always shirking your chores too...we've talked about this."

I could feel the back of my eyes burning, which I could only pray wasn't literally making them glow at the same time, I wanted to cry and scream at them, and honestly, it was only because Vlad was there that I didn't do either of those two things. I already felt humiliated enough by this so with a forced calm I snapped, "I'm only human dad! I can't be expected to do everything around the house and study at the same time! Besides, when's the last time you guys made Jason do any chores huh? Oh, that's right, never! Because he's the prodigal son and needs all the free time to do whatever he wants like it's some given right for being smarter than me!"

"Hey, don't drag me into this," Jason frowned but at the same time, he looked worried because of my outburst and tried to defuse the situation with his shrink-babble. "Look, I think everyone needs to calm down and take a deep breath before they say something they regret-"

Unable to hold back anymore, my shoulders started to shake and before I could stop myself, I shouted, "The only thing I regret was being born into this family!"

After that, while trying to hide the tears I angrily swiped the back of my arm over my eyes and ran out of the dining room, slamming the door behind me. My vision was blurry and I had no idea where I was going at first but I didn't care, I needed to get out of there before I said something even worse or accidentally triggered my ghost powers. Deep down I knew I didn't mean what I just said, I loved my family more than anything, but sometimes...it felt like they either cared too much about something or didn't care enough. And honestly, lately, I felt like they didn't care about me at all and treated me more like I was a burden. Either way, I somehow managed to make my way back to the bedroom Vlad gave me and flung myself onto the bed, hugging the pillow close to my chest as I curled up in a tight ball and let it all out now that I was alone and there was no one there to see me cry...

Or so I thought.

* * *

A few hours later since no one bothered to check on me, not even Vlad, I could only assume they were giving me some space so I wouldn't rip their heads off the moment someone tried to talk to me again. Or maybe they just didn't care one way or another and were more worried about this stupid reunion. Either way, I knew I'd get an earful from mom and dad if I didn't at least show up so I took a quick shower and got dressed in the midnight blue gown mom made me pack.

It was the same one I wore to that dance I tried to ask Paul to since it was one of those weird ones where the girl asks the guy to go and that whole thing with the ghost dragon happened when I couldn't get back this armband with this big old dragon eye on it and he put it on Sam and it was just...a mess. My only saving grace was that while in ghost form my dress didn't get torn to shreds when I fought the darn ghost of some prince guy. And honestly, I'd rather face that dragon again then show my face at this party. I didn't want to be here let alone show my face to Vlad after that ugly display. This has been building up for awhile now but just like with my powers misfiring...it always happened at the worse time.

I sighed heavily while doing my makeup and tried to hide the fact that my eyes were still red and puffy from crying so much. The shower helped a bit but my eyes felt gritty and I would have given anything to just crawl back into that amazingly soft bed in my room here and drift back into sweet oblivion where I didn't have to worry about anything. I loved how huge it was compared to the tiny twin bed I had at home, which I often fell out of either when I accidentally phased through it or because I was tossing and turning so much in my sleep, dreaming about fighting a ghost whether I actually had that night or not. It was one of the things I was really going to miss about this place. Vlad too. Well, at least he tried to be sympathetic to what I was going through, which was more than I could say for the rest of my family.

* * *

For obvious reasons once I did show up I wasn't in the mood for dancing. Who would I even dance with anyway? Everyone here was really old and even the few other kids I saw who had been dragged to this too seemed content with chatting and playing on their cell phones while lurking in the darkest corner they could find. All I had was a hand me down phone which mom had taken anyway since they didn't want me talking to my friends when this trip was, in a lot of ways, more of a punishment because honestly besides dad's story about the accident Vlad had during their college days they haven't really tried talking with me about what their lives were like and how they dealt with these so-called _'same issues'_ as I was when they were growing up. They were more interested in catching up with their old friends so what was even the point of making me come if they were going to ignore me as usual...?

Jason was no better than our parents since he was ditching the party anyway to watch these old football documentaries in the screening room. Because of course HE was allowed to ditch, no questions asked. Yeah, that's totally fair. And at that point, I realized Jason wasn't interested in helping me anymore since he got dragged into this too. But it was his idea in the first place! Either way, I glared daggers in his general direction after remembering how he blew me off, again, and once I saw mom and dad I walked over so they'd see with their own eyes that I at least showed up. Like I said, if I didn't they'd assume I never came at all and would probably ground me for disobeying once we got home which they were probably going to do anyway after I yelled at them at breakfast this morning.

I wasn't even surprised when neither of them so much as mentioned my outburst and pretended like nothing ever happened while introducing me to another old college buddy, this reporter lady named Harriet Chin. I winced when dad made the _'hairy chin'_ joke and groaned, resisting the urge to run my hands down my face and smudge my make up. Mercifully though, dad heard his favorite song start playing that made him perk up and he dragged mom out to the dance floor, leaving me alone with Harriet. She felt just as sorry as I did too that I had to witness such a horrific display since dad really was an awful dancer. Mom taught me how to waltz but that was about it. And I couldn't imagine them playing any slow music at an event like this.

But oh how wrong I was, as usual.

* * *

As soon as Harriet wandered off after complimenting my dress, I found the one unoccupied seat left in the room and settled down, bored out of my mind and wishing I could just leave but there was a wall of people blocking the doorway chatting and drinking punch and with so many around I doubted I could slip away even if I used my ghost powers to do it. I sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time this evening, my arms folded on the table in front of me since I stopped caring about my posture ages ago. It wasn't like I had anyone to impress since I hadn't seen Vlad since the reunion started.

That soon changed when I felt a now familiar hand come to rest on my shoulder and when I looked up, sure enough, there he was. Normally I would have sat up straight again but I couldn't bring myself to care and just stared up at him blankly. Vlad probably thought I was nothing but a whiny brat now anyway so there goes my chance of making a good impression on him...

"There you are Danielle, I've been looking all over for you. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, I was expected to meet and greet with some of the other guests since I'm the one hosting the reunion this year and sadly I couldn't get away sooner," Vlad's smile became a little warmer though as he complimented, "By the way, you look absolutely ravishing my dear."

I smiled sadly in return and muttered a quick thank you before sighing again, not sure what else to say to him. That's when, to my surprise, a slow song started playing and everyone began to gather in the middle of the room to sway to the music. I could even see my parents way off on the other side of the room holding eachother close. Gross. Then again, seeing them so...content after what I said earlier made it feel like they really didn't care about my feelings at all and I felt my eyes start to water. Then I felt Vlad reach for my hand, smiling, and he eloquently asked me to dance with him.

I couldn't believe my ears and just stared at him dumbly and nodded, letting Vlad pull me to my feet and guide me to the dance floor like a princess in a fairytale. I felt like I was literally walking on air and everything else seemed to fade away until it was only me and Vlad dancing. My god he was so graceful it was inhuman! Then again Vlad's probably danced with hundreds of women so this was nothing new to him. Still, I was tense all over because I was afraid of stepping on his feet so I kept my eyes downcast, blushing bright red. Just like before his hands felt so warm, almost comforting, and for some reason I felt totally safe when I was with him. I couldn't explain why, but he had this powerful yet gentle aura that put me at ease so I eventually felt my shoulders relax, looked up, and followed his lead like it was the most natural thing to do.

It wasn't until Vlad started talking that I became tense all over againagain when I heard what he had to say to me. "Danielle, I've been meaning to talk to you. Once this dance is over would you mind waiting for me in my lab? It's the second door on the right upstairs. I promise it won't take long."

"Well, what if I don't want to talk about it?" I argued defensively, pulling away from him slightly as we continued to dance since I thought I already knew what Vlad wanted to say to me. "Look, I appreciate that you tried to help me this morning but-"

"Danielle," Vlad began in this low but serious tone that made me clamp my mouth shut. Once he was certain I wouldn't interrupt again, Vlad looked me straight in the eyes and after sparing a glance in my parent's direction he explained, "No I'm afraid it's about something more serious. And I don't want your parents to overhear us and cause a scene if I so much as mention it here in the open. You know how your father gets. At the mere mention of ghosts, he can't contain himself..."

I suddenly felt my body stiffen entirely as all the color drained from my face, which I'm sure looked petrified.

"What-what do you mean ghosts? No way, we both know there's no such thing right?" I laughed nervously, my eyes darting around as if looking for an escape route. "I mean yeah I heard you guys studied the paranormal in college, but seriously Mr. Mast -I mean Vlad- you don't actually believe in all that nonsense do you?"

Closing his eyes for a moment as the song came to an end and we slowed to a halt, Vlad looked me in the eye and replied carefully, "That remains to be seen."

Swallowing hard, I weighed my options before daring to ask, "What makes you think I know anything? Sure my parents are ghost hunters but that doesn't mean I believe in any of it. My brother doesn't either. That's half the reason he suggested we come here, so we could go on a normal family outing..."

I felt like a cornered animal when Vlad pressed his hand to the small of my back and carefully guided me away from the dance floor again just to make sure we were well completely out of earshot when he leaned over and told me, "Now Danielle, I don't wish to alarm you, but the truth is I didn't just find your lying on the floor last night. I didn't want to believe it at first but while I was on my way back to the master bedroom I saw what appeared to be ghost vultures flying away from something in a terrible hurry and saw that you were injured. I feared the worse but you appeared to be only unconscious so I brought you back to your room and hoped to talk to you about what really happened after breakfast. But sadly you clearly weren't up for such a serious discussion at the time. Truth be told, I was only joking about the ghost of the Dairy King, however, when I saw those vultures with my own eyes as they were fleeing from something more dangerous I began to worry for your safety. Especially after finding you in such a state."

"I wasn't...that's not..." I began, feeling lightheaded from the stress as my mind flew into a panic, wondering what else Vlad might have seen that he wasn't telling me.

What if Vlad saw me fighting that vampire ghost? What if he saw me turn human again after I passed out? What-what if he told my parents I was a half-ghost freak?! Noticing that I was starting to hyperventilate, Vlad glanced behind us to make sure no one saw us leave and shut the door behind us as he led me to the nearest empty room. Once we were alone it was a little easier to breathe but I was still freaking out...

This couldn't be happening, I was always so careful! How much did Vlad see? How much did he know? I had no idea, and it scared me so much I couldn't stand it! I barely noticed it as Vlad sat me down and tried to soothe me by rubbing small circles on my back to help open my lungs. Clearly he had hadn't expected this explosive reaction, but I was already pretty uptight after this morning so honestly, in my mind, this day couldn't possibly get any worse.


	3. Confession

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **I usually don't update this fast but I'm getting really into this story so...yeah. It's kind of a slow burn but I'm glad you guys seem to like this story so far regardless.

* * *

**Chapter 3: ** Confession

* * *

Vlad's POV

To be perfectly honest, I was taken aback by how easy Jack and Maddie were making this for me. Danielle was clearly under a lot of duress at home and her feelings were boiling over to the point where she could no longer contain them. This was good. Manipulating her while she was so emotional would make it all the more satisfying once I staked my claim on Danielle's heart...

Given how Danielle was only a teenager in general, it was all too easy to guess as to what Danielle's been dealing with. Well, at least it was to anyone with two eyes and even half a brain. I was surprised though when even my dear Maddie seemed oblivious to her daughter's struggles.

That's when it occurred to me, and yes while this wasn't why I wanted Danielle, I thought that maybe there were some other more mundane things I could help her with to ease those heavy burdens. Maintaining a social image and surviving high-school was difficult enough, but to have to literally fight ghosts just to survive was no laughing matter, especially for someone so young. Luckily for Danielle though, once I found a way to secure a place for her here she would want for nothing and would be treated accordingly, as befitting the passionate and earnest young woman she seemed to be that reminded me so much of her mother.

The most important thing I had to remember though that Danielle also had ghost powers, like me, which made us perfect for each other. I would give her a world worthy of us and make sure that everyone who wronged us would learn to regret it. But first things first I needed to gain Danielle's trust. It was a risky move, revealing my secret to her so soon, but I could see no other way to stop her from hiding the truth about herself from me. And I didn't want that to keep me learning more about her...physiology and how it differed from mine in regards to her exposure to a fully functioning ghost portal since she seemed to be much more stable than I was when I obtained these powers. At least, I could only assume that was how this miracle came to pass at any rate...

As I turned invisible and watched her weep after following her as Masters out of concern only to notice that no one in her family bothered to check on her or offer Danielle any sort of comfort, I felt my heart flutter at the sight and for the first time since our encounter last night I actually felt genuinely worried for her. I knew exactly what it felt like to be alone, to feel rejected and scorned, left by the wayside, I knew the feeling all too well. But it didn't have to be this way. She could have me, and we could have each other. That way, in the end, we'd both get what we wanted...

Someone who understood.

* * *

A few hours later after anonymously checking in on Danielle again, slightly embarrassed when I caught her in the middle of pulling on her dress, I looked away since now wasn't the time to get distracted by such thoughts. But at least this meant I didn't have to convince her to attend the reunion. Ah yes, most of my plans had changed now that Danielle was in the picture, but a few key elements of it could still be used in my favor to get at least some of what I wanted. I could humiliate Jack AND make myself more appealing in Danielle's eyes. Shouldn't be too hard since she already seemed to have developed quite the little crush on me...how quaint.

Once everything was in place I approached the girl and smiled, raking my eyes down Danielle's willowy form since she really did look like a goddess of the night in that midnight blue gown. It complimented her sparkling blue eyes and ebony black hair perfectly, which had been left loosely hanging around her shoulders instead of being done up. A shame really, well no matter, the point was I needed to get her alone with me one way or another to enact the next phase of my plan.

And sure enough, not too long after that, the slow song I requested began to play and those who actually had a dance partner gathered in the middle of the ballroom to sway to the music or slow waltz as I was doing with Danielle. Normally I would have requested something a bit more refined, such as Tchaikovsky or Mozart, but since everyone else here was more old fashioned in a classical sense I selected something a little more their speed. Regardless, I hoped Danielle would enjoy it at least since I still did what I could to select a song she was likely familiar with.

Sadly, even if she was familiar with it, Danielle's posture was tense like a coiled spring ready to snap at any moment. Noticing this, I reconsidered going through with this plan since it was anyone's guess how she would respond to learning I was the ghost who injured her last night. I could always try something else. But then again, if I did that it would take more time and careful planning to get them here again which was rather irritating, meaning if f I didn't act now my window of opportunity would close.

While pondering all of this, in stark contrast to how warm my body was naturally thanks to my ghost core, I noticed that Danielle's felt cool and refreshing to the touch, like spring rain and regardless of how long we danced they didn't seem to change temperature at all so it really was a pleasant sensation. My warmth must have had a different effect on her though since Danielle soon began to unwind and eventually she found the courage to look back up at me and meet my gaze instead of continuing to shyly stare at her feet.

I could see how her lucid blue eyes seemed to quite literally shine as they gazed up at me, filled with innocence and naive admiration. A shame she couldn't stay this way, so I decided to treasure the moment before finally speaking to her about the _'real' _reason I wanted to talk to her...

Needless to say, I was not expecting to see her eyes widen so much as a look of absolute horror flit across Danielle's face when I told her at least half the truth of what I saw last night. _Could it be she's that afraid of her parents finding out what she really is? This is more serious than I thought, _I realized while listening to her feeble attempts to dismiss my claims about seeing ghosts here in the castle.

I should have realized sooner that underneath her bored facade, Danielle was still very tense and upset about the situation with her parents and terrified that they'd find out she was attacked by a real ghost last night which in her mind would ruin everything. The only reason Danielle came to the ballroom this evening is because she forced herself to to avoid further punishment or backlash from her parents.

She clearly did not actually want to be here and was looking for an escape as soon as I mentioned ghosts, so I did what any gentleman would do and led her out of the crowded dance hall so Danielle could calm down and recollect her thoughts. I rubbed small circles on her back as she dry heaved, trying to catch her breath, and secretly I marveled at how cool and flawless the rest of her skin was too. Interesting, did this mean her healing abilities were so advanced that they worked almost instantly? That would explain why Danielle looked no worse for wear when she joined us for breakfast this morning. It didn't look as though she was covering any remaining scratches or bruises with makeup which meant...Danielle really was the perfect half-ghost.

I didn't press her for further details about the night before and simply waited until Danielle's back muscles finally uncoiled and she calmed down. Although she still seemed rather lightheaded at first from not being able to get enough air into her lungs. Her long eyelashes were dusted with small droplets from the tears she tried to blink away so I expertly removed my red handkerchief and offered it to her. Danielle accepted it wordlessly and lightly dabbed her eyes, trying not to smear her make up on it before handing it back to me.

Her thoughtfulness genuinely touched me so without thinking, I drew her close and sighed, "I'm terribly sorry Danielle, whatever did happen last night must have been terribly frightening. I didn't mean to upset you."

Inhaling a sharp unsteady gasp, Danielle shook her head and pulled away from me, putting some distance between us before replying, "It's...it's not that. I just don't really know you and-"

Just then the two of us reflexively became perfectly still when we heard a pair of muffled voices just outside the door as one of them laughed, "...oh come on, it's a big castle, no one will miss us. Come on, live a little already!"

"But what if he catches us?" The other voice replied as the couple gradually moved further away from us. "I don't want Masters to do something crazy to get back at me for messing up anything in his castle. Or did you already forget how back in college I used to bully him relentlessly and even pinned the blame on him and that bozo Jack for stealing the school mascot? He'll ruin me, Elisa. Do you hear me, ruin!"

"Not if I ruin you first..." she promised seductively, making Danielle and I both blush at her implied meaning.

Once we were met with only silence again, save for the distant din of voices and music from the ballroom, Danielle heaved a sigh of relief and without looking at me she said, "You know what, forget it. If it's all the same to you, can we just pretend like there were never any ghosts around last night? If you already know about them I'm sure you have stuff to fight them with right? Or like...bodyguards? Either way I'm just...I'm fine so don't worry about me. I don't want to talk about ghosts anymore. I came here hoping to escape them for at least a little while. I-I mean since my parents talk about them nonstop," she added hastily, trying to cover the slip-up. "Besides, as long as they don't show up again we don't really HAVE to tell my parents anything, right? That way you can avoid dad causing a scene by blowing a hole in the wall trying to hit a green balloon that he thinks is a ghost like this one time at a friend's birthday party, and I can avoid my parents freaking out and scolding me for not using the little ecto-gun they made me carry in my grab bag to defend myself so that I'd be ready at all times like a true Fenton if a ghost or a teenage boy assaulted me. I didn't exactly have it on me last night in my PJ's."

I was almost impressed by her quick thinking and had I not already known the truth it would have been a very convincing lie, clever girl. Still, this was getting us nowhere and I needed to lure Danielle to my lab to begin phase two of my plan. I needed her out of harm's way once I sent my vultures after Jack again at least long enough to convince Danielle I meant no harm and didn't know her secret until last night. Although...her comment about the concealed weapon she was carrying gave me an idea so with a defeated sigh I stood up, dusted myself off before nodding in agreement, and resting a hand on her head, smiling.

"Alright, you make a fair point Danielle," I began, but in a more serious tone I added, "However, since those ghosts DID attack you last night it would put my mind at ease if at the very least you'll agree to let me give you something for some added protection should any of them come after you again. And don't worry, I'm sure your parents can handle it if they do show up again and that they probably gave your brother something similar to defend himself with too should the need arise." Reaching down with the same hand I had resting on her head, I brushed her hair back behind her ear and added, "Please understand Danielle, I know we've only just met, but I've grown rather fond of you and would hate for anything else to happen while you're here. That's the only reason I came to you and not your parents with this. Because from where I stand, you're the one in need of my protection the most."

Danielle seemed confused at first since it sounded like my words had a double meaning, which they did, but she didn't need to know that. Either way, I resisted the urge to smile triumphantly when Danielle's shoulders slumped and she sighed, ducking out from under my hand and smiling back at me, "Sounds fair. Thanks, Vlad. It means...a lot to me that you would even go to all this trouble to make sure I'm ok. My parents could learn a thing or two from you."

_More than you know, my dear, _I mused wickedly to myself.

* * *

Danielle's POV

I felt much better after Vlad elaborated what he actually meant when he brought up the ghosts he saw last night. It was a relief yet still kind of weird that he believed in them already, no questions asked. Makes sense though given how he was friends with my parents. I'm just glad Vlad seemed more...level-headed about it then they were.

Either way, I followed him in silence as we made our way to his lab and my first reaction was that if you didn't know any better, it'd seem like a perfectly normal lab with nothing betraying his interest in the paranormal. It was a circular room with four curved tables and various devices lining the walls but as I said, it was very tidy and sterile and didn't smell funny like the lab at home did. But despite how average it looked, the moment we stepped inside and the doors automatically closed behind us an unnatural chill ran up my spine...and not just any chill, it was my ghost sense going off as a puff of mist escaped my lips.

Well, that's just great. Here we go again...

Needing an excuse to leave as soon as possible to go deal with it since I didn't really need Vlad's protection, I shifted uncomfortably and asked, "Um, Vlad? Is this going to take very long? We should probably get back before we're missed..."

Watching Vlad as he scanned the tables idly looking for whatever he wanted to give me, I noticed a photograph on one of the tables and while he was still distracted I walked over to it and picked it up. _Wait a second, isn't that mom? Wow, she looked amazing even back then. The guy next to her on the right must be Vlad. Heh, despite the mullet he's still pretty hot, but why is this other part ripped? _Looking at it more closely though, something about it seemed familiar and I frowned._ Hold on. This orange suit, isn't that...?_

Sure enough, when I reached down and searched my purse I found the torn piece of an old photo and held it up to the one in the frame it was a perfect match! But why would those ghost vultures have something like this? This didn't add up at all! What could Vlad possibly have to do with-

"Danielle..." Vlad called, still unaware that I was still holding the picture of him and my parents in my hands. "There's something I have to tell you. The truth is I haven't been completely honest with about why I brought you here. But I ask that you please keep an open mind and stay calm, alright?"

Shaking my head, I started to feel angry once I realized I'd been tricked and snapped, "Oh yeah? How about we start with this then?"

Once Vlad turned around I held up the picture frame and torn piece with my dad on it and glared at him. He seemed shocked at first but quickly replaced that expression with a calm calculating one before speaking again. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that. I should have put that somewhere out of sight before asking you to come here, that was careless of me. Well no matter..."

His dark blue eyes bore into mine as Vlad stepped closer to me, but unlike before when his stern tone intimidated me and made me fall silent, this was different. Vlad was up to something and he wasn't who he said he was and I needed to know what he was planning. I felt like an idiot for falling for his trap so easily. Clearly, Vlad had some beef with my dad and employed ghosts to attack him not once, but twice! But why? How the heck did he even manage to pull that off? Blackmail? The threat of total annihilation? And more importantly, did the vampire-ghost that attacked me last night have something to do with it...?

"Ok, enough with the mind games you fruitloop," I frowned, standing my ground even when Vlad was towering over me, hands behind his back and mine was pressed against the back of the table behind me. "What's really going on here? Why did those ghost vultures have a picture of my dad? Did you...send them after him? Look, I know you have every reason to hate him I guess for hurting you so bad all those years ago, but messing with ghosts is dangerous!"

Smirking at me knowingly, I was shocked when instead of Vlad answering me, he countered with a few questions of his own, "I think the better question is...how did you end up with that picture, hmm? I'd much rather find that out."

"Don't dodge the question!" I growled, slamming the picture frame back on the table behind me and jabbing a finger at his chest. "What I want to know is why you're working with those ghost vultures! How did you get them to listen to you anyway? Are you working with that other ghost that attacked me too? Why am I really here? Are you going to try to silence me? If you are then I'm afraid I'm more than capable of kicking your ass."

"Of course not," Vlad huffed indignantly as if I just insulted him so he took a few steps back to give me some space and sighed. "I have no intention of hurting you again."

I blinked, "Wait...again?"

Before I could react in time, my ghost sense went off again and I felt a pair of tentacles wrap around my arms that lifted me into the air. My body reacted quicker then my mind could so without thinking, I transformed and snapped into battle mode. Now free of the dress I was still wearing in human form I could move around more easily so I delivered a swift kick to the first ghost to make it let go of me then grabbed the second one by the arms, or tentacles I guess, and slammed it face first into the ground. Dazed, the two ghost ectopuses quickly retreated and phased out of the nearest wall. They were super easy to defeat, but the thing that unnerved me most was how those were the first ghosts I ever fought not long after I gained my ghost powers! How could Vlad possibly know that!? I only fought them a few months ago!

Whirling around, I stared down at Vlad from where I was still floating and realized...he tricked me into transforming! Now he knew my secret for sure or maybe Vlad knew all along and I fell for his act! But then..why did he still look so calm and assured? Wasn't he worried I might attack him? Not that I would unless I had a reason to but-

After that, I felt my ghost sense go off again but instead of being attacked directly again, I felt something prick the side of my neck and winced, reaching up to pull out some kind of...glowing dart and my vision started to blur as my body started to shiver and I slumped to the floor. What the heck? Why did I feel so weak? Who even shot me anyway? Vlad was in front of me the whole time and I never saw anyone else so was there another ghost in here, and they were just still invisible...?

Hugging myself, I scanned the room and much like how Vlad did the first time I saw him, none other than Skulker stepped out of the shadows, retracting the dart gun in his arm as he walked over to me and picked me up by the throat. "Skulker? How did you get back in your ectoskeleton? And what are you doing here?"

_God, just how many ghosts does Vlad have working for him?! _I gasped, weakly reaching up and grabbing onto Skulker's arm. "All excellent questions..." he smirked, activating a glowing green blade in his other arm and holding it against my neck after pulling me closer to him.

Staring at it, I laughed nervously, "Uh...the glowing blade is new..."

"You like it? I've had some upgrades!" Skulker declared excitedly before growing serious again and holding the blade closer to my exposed throat, "Now-"

"Enough!" Vlad growled, drawing our attention back to him. "I didn't hire you to kill her Skulker, your work here is done."

Skulker and I exchanged confused looks before he sheepishly began to form a reply just as his suit started to beep and told him to go check out a book on purple-back gorilla's. Wow, so his suit was still doing that? Noted. Still, I felt...weird and it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus and as soon a Skulker let go of me and I landed on my feet my knees gave out and I sagged onto the floor. Moments later I transformed back into my human form. Not long after, his jets activated and Skulker phased through the roof and out of sight, leaving me all alone with Vlad again only now I could hardly move and I was actually starting to get a little scared.

I didn't let it show on my face though as I peered up at Vlad as I asked breathlessly, "Skulker? The ectopuses? I don't understand..."

Scoffing, Vlad replied, "Of course not, you're what? Sixteen at best? Barely old enough to drive and still years away from starting college...?" Kneeling down and lifting my chin, he smirked and continued, "I sent those ghosts and others to test your father's skills. Imagine my surprise when I find YOU, the second ghost hybrid his foolishness created!"

"Second?" I asked, too dazed to really grasp what he could possibly mean by that.

That's when Vlad transformed before my eyes when a ring of this strange black light formed at his waist and split into two just like mine. Rapidly, they started changing his appearance as they passed over him to reveal none other than the ghost who knocked me unconscious last night!

"You?!" I snarled, trembling as I tried to find the strength to transform back to my ghost form too to kick his ass so hard that he'd be feeling it for weeks! "I'm going ghost!" I cried, but nothing happened so I tried again and again but it was useless. What the hell was wrong with me!? "Why can't I go ghost...?" I muttered aloud, legitimately worried now.

"You have a battle cry, hilarious!" He laughed, letting go of my chin to almost lovingly brush his gloved fingers over the mark on my neck where the dart injected me with whatever the hell was in that dart before pulling his hand away and continuing, "I, on the other hand, prepared something extra special just for you, courtesy of Skulker to make absolutely sure you couldn't escape once I revealed myself to you just in case your response wasn't exactly...agreeable. I couldn't very well have you running off to warn your parents and spoiling everything now could I, my dear? Now I'm afraid you're as human as your idiot father for at least the next hour or so. That gives me plenty of time to put the next phase of my plan in motion since you sadly figured out it was me who sent those vultures after Jack the first time as well."

"Don't touch me you creep! You'd better let me go right now if you know what's good for you!" I snapped, despite knowing I was probably completely at his mercy right now.

Standing up, Vlad turned his back to me, his solid red eyes peering back down at me as he argued, "Why? So you can go back to stumbling through your adolescence desperately trying to get control of your powers? Powers by the way I've had for 20 years!"

Turning back around and showing me several examples of what he could do, Vlad explained arrogantly, "I have experience, my child. And the money and power gained from using those powers for personal gain. You see I could train you, teach you everything I know. And all you'd have to do...is renounce your family and join me. Really they don't seem to appreciate you nearly as much as I do anyway, my dear. I knew the moment I met you there was something special about you. I never could have imagined you'd be a hybrid like me though! A half-ghost and an outcast that their reckless behavior has allowed to suffer in silence for who knows how long, too afraid to come to them for help or tell them the truth about what you are for fear of rejection. I understand exactly how you feel, Danielle...painfully well."

I bit my lip and couldn't bring myself to respond because for one thing, I was in shock, and for another...the truth is Vlad was right. They didn't appreciate me or seemed too worried after I got out of the hospital after the accident. And even when I was at home it's like I didn't even exist. But at the same time, I...I didn't want them getting hurt! That's why I fight ghosts! To protect them! Vlad seemed to have a reason to want my dad to suffer like he made Vlad suffer, but a goof or not he was still my dad. I-I didn't know what to do since Vlad backed me into a corner and rendered me powerless. What else could I do? What SHOULD I do..?

Nothing. There was nothing I could do even if I wanted to...which I desperately wanted to.

I couldn't though, at least, not like this...

I felt so helpless and before I could regain control of my emotions, tears started to fall and I stared blankly at the floor, feeling utterly defeated and scared, trying to blink them away with little to no success. I flinched when Vlad knelt down in front of me again and cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away my tears as my eyes suddenly started to droop and my vision began fading in and out of focus. It was so hard to keep them open anymore...but I wasn't sure what would happen once I let them.

"Don't be afraid Danielle, I meant it when I said I don't want to hurt you," Vlad began softly, "You're too important to me now. And I didn't know you were like me when I first saw you in ghost form and I assumed you were either here to interfere with my plans or a suicidal ghost that just happened to cross over into my territory unknowingly while chasing those three buzzards."

As if reading my mind when I tried to speak again but couldn't form the words to ask what he planned to do to my family, Vlad replied, "As for your parents...with Jack, well, I'm afraid some payback is still long overdue but if it will put your mind at ease I promise not to kill him. I'm not a monster my dear, and I certainly don't want you to hate me. And so long as they stay out my way no harm will come to your brother or Maddie either. Even if it takes some time...you'll learn to trust me. Either way, it shouldn't take much to convince your mother and father that you're better off just staying here with me for a while. Especially when all of this stress is getting to you and making you ill. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to let you stay with their dear old friend until you feel better, wouldn't you agree? Now then, you should try to get some sleep...you'll thank me for this later..."

It was scary how fast my strength faded after that and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore so they drifted shut and I collapsed against his chest. I could feel his arms wrap around me possessively, enveloping me in their incredible warmth just like in the dream. But I was still unsure about all this and pissed off at him so I hated the fact that I was still reacting to his touch this way. At the same time though I didn't have the strength or willpower to pull away again, I couldn't...think straight. I barely even heard what Vlad said to me at the very end since his voice sounded so far away...so so far away. Then, I slipped unwillingly into the darkness and I had no way of knowing if anything Vlad told me was true, or if I'd wake up to find everyone I loved badly injured from a ghost attack because of me, or worse.

All I could do was hope I'd live long enough to find out.


	4. Entrapment

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **I should really slow down with these chapters. Hmm, nah...maybe I'll write just one more. Yeah, this is becoming a problem, because I want to get to the good stuff with some more seductive Vlad action. Please send help. lolz

* * *

**Chapter 4: ** Entrapment

* * *

Danielle's POV

_I felt...warm, that's the first thing I noticed when the drugs began to wear off and I slowly started to regain awareness of my surroundings. I was being carried, we were...moving, no, running. Why? What were we running from...?_

_There were voices too and shouting, but it sounded muffled like I was underwater and I could only make out a few words at a time. They were shouting things like_ "ghost," "get her out of here," _and it sounded like my parents were fighting something._

_And lastly, there was the sound of cruel laughter..._

_...then silence_.

* * *

Everything after that was a dizzying blur of slipping in and out of consciousness until finally, after what felt like days, I heard my mom calling my name and slowly opened my eyes. I couldn't open them all the way since I felt woozy, but I managed to form a hoarse reply, "Mom...? Where-where am I...?"

"Shh, it's alright, your safe now. Don't try to talk too much yet and save your strength. Vlad told us everything," she began grimly.

Thankfully, before the possible meaning of those words could really sink into my groggy brain, my mom explained as she gently stroked my hair back, "Oh Dani, we never meant to make you feel like you couldn't trust us to the point where you refused to ask for help even when your life was in danger. Vlad told us what really happened last night and how you were attacked by ghosts and he managed to scare them away. But since you were still so emotional about things back home you asked him not to tell us because you were afraid we'd punish you again or we wouldn't listen. That's when your father and I finally realized Vlad was right. We've...we've been putting too much pressure on you just like he said and I'm so sorry. As for what happened, you were dancing with Vlad on the other side of the ballroom when you got upset again like you did this morning so Vlad tried to take you somewhere quiet to talk about it when those nasty ghosts targeted you again to get to us and...I feel terrible about it."

Mom sounded a bit choked up and wordlessly pulled me into a hug just as my eyes drifted over to my dad who grinned at me and added excitedly, "You should have seen your mother in action, those ghost feather-dusters didn't know what hit them!" A bit more sheepishly though after mom shot him a hard glare he added, "As for the other ghost, well...we're lucky V-man was there to help out. He saved your life, Dani. Vlad's really taken a shine to you, and I for one am glad you seem to trust him a lot. He's the best friend a guy could ask for!"

_Trust him? Yeah right! I'm never trusting that lying asshole again! _I thought viciously as I scanned the room for the crazed fruitloop, wondering how Vlad managed to trick my parents too and what stunt he pulled to make himself look good in front of them while I was down for the count.

"Where is he?" I finally managed to ask and it came out as a low snarl because there was no way in hell I was going to let him get away with this.

Finally letting go of me, mom noticed my aggravated tone and chided, "Now Dani, don't get mad at Vlad for telling us about the other attack. He has your best interests at heart and says you're like a daughter to him so he only wanted to make sure you'll be alright. I understand you're upset that Vlad broke his promise to keep it from us, but this is serious Danielle. You could have been killed by those ghosts and not coming to us for help when you need it is very dangerous! That's why your father and I agree with Vlad and think you need some time away from home to sort some things out. More importantly, those ghosts targeted you specifically twice already so it's too dangerous for you to be around us or Amity Park right now. We've taken care of things for Jason so he can stay at a friends house for the time being, but you need to focus on getting better."

"What are you talking about? I feel fine, see?" I lied, pulling the covers off to prove it but even that small amount of movement made me sway dizzily and I grabbed my head, closing my eyes to stop everything from spinning. _Damn it, looks like those stupid drugs are still in my system. _

Worried, dad reached over to steady me with one of his large reassuring hands and said, "Whoa there little lady, don't try to move so fast!"

Grimacing I shook my head and protested, "Don't go deciding things for yourselves. I'm sorry I didn't want to talk to you guys, but please, I just...want to go home and forget any of this ever happened." _I wish I could forget ever thinking Vlad was a cool guy...I should have known it was too good to be true._

I leaned heavily on my dad's arm, struggling to keep it together when it felt like the whole room was lurching from side to side like we were on a boat or something even with my eyes closed at least long enough to convince them this whole ghost-thing was a one time fluke and I'd still be much safer at home. I mean we have our very own ghost shield and they had all their weapons and junk. More importantly, they weren't seriously going to leave me, their sixteen-year-old daughter, alone with a strange man I barely knew -who happened to be half-ghost too- alone here were they...? Who does that!?

Why the hell would they even agree to this instead of just dealing with the ghost problem themselves? I mean they're professional ghost hunters, putting us in danger kinda came with the territory of being born a Fenton! Besides, if Jason could stay at a friends house until this supposed _'ghost problem'_ smoothed over why couldn't I do the same thing? Besides, sure I've been really emotional lately, but the only reason I felt so bad right now is because Vlad effing drugged me!

Before they could say anything else to make me feel even worse, the man of the hour himself finally appeared. And after noticing I was awake Vlad smiled that same Cheshire-cat smile as before and beamed, "Ah Danielle! It's such a relief that you're finally awake. How are you feeling, my dear?"

Glaring at him as hard as I could manage I hissed, "Go away, Vlad. I don't want to talk to you you lying piece of-"

"Danielle, don't you dare finish that sentence. You know how I feel about swearing..." my mother warned, sighing and looking over at Vlad sympathetically. "I'm very sorry about that, she's still a little disoriented and angry that you told us what was really going on for her own good. That and Dani's still not feeling well..."

"It's quite alright my dear. I've also called for a private doctor to come take a look at her, they'll be here any minute. However, I feel I do owe her an explanation so if it's alright with the two of you can you give us a moment to speak in private?" Vlad asked, acting all worried and innocent, but I knew better now. I knew he was nothing but a snake in the grass, waiting to fill their ears with his poisonous words!

His gaze shifting unsurely between Vlad and me, my dad eventually nodded and replied, "Sure thing V-man, Mads and I can take care of the rest and stand watch for while you two talk. No other ghost punks are going to get past me!"

Normally I wasn't the clingy type, but when my dad started to pull his arm away I wouldn't let go of him. I had no intention of ever being anywhere alone with Vlad again. Unfortunately for me, I was still too weak so he never even noticed me trying to stop him. Mom too because they both just thanked Vlad again for _'saving me'_ without ever asking me what I wanted or how I felt, though she briefly helped prop me up against the pillows so the two of us could talk and just...left me there with him. Vlad was insanely good at pulling their strings.

And I was seriously starting to hate that about him.

* * *

As soon as my parents left I knew I only had one card to play against Vlad so even though to be completely honest I was still scared of what might happen if I had no choice but to do it, before he could so much as think of coming towards me, I backed away as much as humanly possible and told him viciously, "If you come one step closer I swear I'll scream. I don't know what you're up to or what you did to me, let alone what you made your little cronies do, but I'm not going to let you get away with this. I swear to god if you don't tell them you've changed your mind about me staying here right now I'll tell them who you really are and what you did to me!"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at me and smirked, "Oh really? That's your plan Danielle? Come now, you do realize that if you expose me you'll also expose yourself. And what makes you think you even can transform again yet? You don't even know how much time has passed since then and I could have just as easily lied to you about the duration of the drugs affects, or even given you another dose while you slept. True, I'll admit what Skulker gave you is an untested ghost sedative I've been working on, but so far the results have proven successful."

Just to prove I was serious about this and really could feel my powers again, with some effort I managed to form the ring and it slowly started to split apart but then I let it fade because the effort was making me dizzy again. It still had the desired effect though when his smile faltered and a look of surprise flitted across his face. Happy about finally getting at least a small victory and I smirked right back at him, laughing weakly.

Giving him a dirty look though I added seriously, "I have enough power to transform at least once and once is enough. If I know my parents well enough, they wouldn't be this worried about me over a couple of stupid ghost birds. A scary vampire one though...well that's different. I may be scared of how they'll react to the truth about me, but I know they'll love me no matter what, however, if I expose you they won't be nearly as accepting or eager to leave me here with you. After all, you attacked them too, not just your vultures."

"You're making an awful lot of assumptions here my dear," Vlad responded casually, hands resting behind his back. "What makes you think that I showed myself as Plasmius to either of them? For all you know I managed to get Skulker to come back here just in time to make the threat to your life seem real or brought in yet another underling of mine. Trust me, I have many..."

After that I tried to remember exactly when I heard it, but I know I did even in that drugged haze so I looked up at him and said, "I might not remember exactly what happened but I remember hearing your evil laughter, which sounded like some kind of cartoon super-villain so I know you were there. I'm not stupid, you damn fruitloop. I know you're-"

Whatever else I was going to say was abruptly cut off when another wave of weakness swept over me, probably the result of even trying to transform, and leaned my head back into the pillows and shut my eyes while waiting for it to pass. Only, it didn't. It got worse...

"Danielle...?" Vlad called, the mocking tone absent from his voice now.

After that, I started wheezing and trembling all over and without warning a sharp pain stabbed at my stomach and I reflexively tried to curl in on myself, wrapping my arms around my abdomen. I felt really hot too and started to sweat all over. I had no idea what was happening but maybe I was having a delayed allergenic reaction to the drugs and when I tried to transform it set something off. I knew trying to change would be risky, but it was a risk I was willing to take to get myself out of here. But like with everything else lately, it backfired and made me wonder why I even bother trying...

* * *

Vlad's POV

I couldn't help but admire Danielle's fiery spirit when even now she continued her futile struggle to escape the situation she now found herself in. But unfortunately for her, I was in my element and could easily adapt to almost any situation. I did, however, find myself growing concerned when Danielle's body started to have an allergenic reaction the sedative I gave her. When she started to have difficulty breathing I abandoned all semblance of calm and approached, brushing back Danielle's hair to take her temperature and sure enough her skin was now feverish to the touch.

"You stupid girl..." I muttered irritably, checking her pulse too to find it was racing like a hummingbird's. "Trying to transform like that even partially was reckless, now look what you've gone and done?"

No response. _Goddamnit, she must have fainted, _I thought, taking a moment to examine her symptoms so I could figure out what may have gone wrong with the sedative.

Elevated heartbeat, fever, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, and a cold sweat...well alright, if I had to hazard a guess as to what the problem could be she only started to take a turn for the worse after her transformation ring manifested which resulted in her feeling stomach pain. Hmm, there was also the fact that her emotional reactions since we met have been rather intense, even for a teenager, so could it be she was in the middle of her menstrual cycle...? There was also the fact that she was indeed suffering from lack of sleep which weakened her immune system due to that and stress so really this came as no surprise.

That would also explain a lot since the tests I've run so far on my computer simulator and ectoplasmic samples using that drug have proven successful otherwise which is why I decided to risk using it on Danielle to avoid outright injuring her to knock her unconscious earlier. Those other ghosts I brought here were only there to trick her into transforming and to test her strength before I gave Skulker the signal to shoot Danielle with the tranquilizer dart while she was distracted.

Regardless, since I planned to overshadow the doctor anyway to give Danielle my own examination in front of her parents, it was a good thing I already had some idea of what went wrong. While I hated to see her in so much pain this would also reinforce their need not to move her for the time being. I was more than capable of taking care of their daughter while they took care of things at her school and could purchase all of the basics she would need during her stay and if there was something specific Danielle desired from home her parents could always send it to us...

It would seem that I underestimated Danielle's resolve because despite her uncertainty and fear she was willing to expose herself to her parents just to stop me, _'the bad guy,'_ so she could escape my clutches. Really though I was ultimately doing this for her own good just like Danielle's parents believed. We were two of a kind, perfect creatures born into an ugly world and if I could spare her the same suffering I went through by helping her learn to control her powers sooner she would be much better off...

She may not like it or accept it right now, but I believe we were meant for each other. No, we were MADE for each other. As such even if this plan failed there would be more to come and eventually she would see things my way and understand that the depths of my feelings for her overshadowed anything I ever felt for her mother because Danielle was, as I said, the perfect woman and I for one was looking forward to our future together from now on.


	5. Isolation

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **For those of you already following who haven't seen the new addition to the note in the first chapter, since things have been so low key I changed the rating of this story from M to T, meaning even once Vlad and Danielle become close enough to get it on it won't be too intense. Just letting you know.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **Isolation

* * *

Vlad's POV

It was becoming almost depressing now just how easy it was to convince Jack in Maddie to leave Danielle in my care after the doctor, who I didn't overshadow until he began his examination so I could expertly mimic his mannerisms, gave them his diagnosis. Did they really think so little of Danielle's feelings on the matter to the point that they would rather rely on someone else caring for their only daughter for them rather than take any responsibility as parents to take time out of their _'busy'_ days to do it themselves? I would have thought they would have at least tried to decline my offer to help at least at first, but they hardly put up a fuss at all. Then again...I suppose my gallant rescue last night worked a little too well and left no room for them to doubt my intentions.

Once we stabilized Danielle's condition using a respirator since she was still unconscious the _'doctor' _suggested that they let her get plenty of rest and prescribed some pain medication. But the poor girl really was suffering primarily from sleep deprivation and high levels of stress weakening her immune system, which I might add I already pointed out to them, but really it should have been painfully obvious. After seeing their inconsiderate behavior with my own eyes I was actually glad Danielle wasn't awake for this. Because once everything was settled, her parents wasted no time returning home to resume their own lives, not caring about how staying here would ultimately affect hers. They didn't even bother waiting around long enough for her to wake up once all the other guests from the reunion left to say goodbye to Danielle...

Before they left, however, her older brother Jason on the other hand finally seemed to actually give a damn about his sister's plight and told me he felt guilty for not taking Danielle's concerns as seriously as he should have. True, they both had to deal with their eccentric parents back home and he was originally trying to help them relate to Danielle better so they'd stop punishing her so harshly for being only a few minutes late for curfew. But sadly Jason wound up only thinking about himself and how they inconvenienced him too when they dragged him along for this trip as well, leading to him unjustly blaming his sister for it.

To make up for the selfish way he acted, Jason took me aside and gave me some of his _'brotherly' _advice. He also gave me a few tips regarding how to cheer Danielle up and told me what comfort foods she liked when she wasn't feeling well. It was all very touching really.

Although, he did seem a little more hesitant than his parents to leave Danielle alone with someone they barely knew, especially so suddenly like this. His concerns made perfect sense though, and even I'll admit that this whole situation was rather...unorthodox. But after giving him some reassurance Danielle's brother eventually warmed up to the idea of me tending to her needs and even gave me his cell phone number just in case his sister needed anything or felt lonely.

When I asked him why he gave me his number when I already had his parent's, Jason frowned and begrudgingly admitted, "Well...here's the thing. Don't get me wrong, their hearts are in the right place, but our parents aren't exactly the most...observant people. Things wouldn't have gotten this bad if they bothered looking up from their ghost junk every once in a while to notice what was going on around them, especially with Dani. This has been building up for a while now, all the signs were there, and even though I'm studying to become a psychologist mom and dad should have noticed something was going on with her long before now. I'm just glad someone else finally noticed it too and said something to them since they barely even listen to me anymore either when I tell them there's a problem. I even decided to stay an extra year in high school for a victory lap semester to keep a close eye on my sister since she's been really struggling to keep it together. Especially after the accident a few months ago..."

Frowning I nodded, "Ah yes, your parents told the doctor about that when they were giving him her medical history but they never went into detail. Having been through something similar myself I'm sure it was a very traumatic experience for Danielle. I know it's not my place to ask this, but may I ask exactly how long she was hospitalized...?"

"It wasn't long, only about a week. Dani kept getting chilled and for three days she just couldn't get warm. And she kept complaining about feeling like she wasn't all there, almost as if she was floating or something. But when my parents asked her if she saw anything...ghostly when she accidentally turned on what was supposed to be a ghost portal of some kind, Dani burst into hysterics and shouted that she didn't want to talk about it. I can't blame her for getting so mad at them either since there she was, sick in bed looking as deathly pale as an actual ghost, and the first thing they ask is if she saw anything paranormal when that goddamn thing could have killed her! It was such a stupid thing to do instead of making sure she was doing alright first! Thankfully my parents finally had the sense to drop it after that so she wouldn't freak the doctors out again when the heart monitor skyrocketed," Jason replied and I for one was shocked that Danielle managed to recover THAT quickly with so few ghostly symptoms whereas I was bedridden for years after my accident. Not to mention disgusted by their parents tactless comment to their when the poor girl must have been scared out of her mind once she discovered the true nature of her condition; I know I was.

My attention quickly returned to him when he sighed, looked me in the eye, and told me in all seriousness, "Look, Mr. Masters, I'm sorry about the way I acted when we first met. The way my parents have been treating both of us lately has been getting on my nerves too, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you or my sister. Dani deserves better than that. And I know it's a lot to ask but...will you promise to take good care of her? She's been through a lot and our parents do tend to put my sister under a lot of pressure just like you said this morning and I just want her to be happy again. Once this is all over, it'd be nice knowing Dani has someone to talk to who understands what she went through after the accident and what she's going through right now."

A coy smile returned to my face as I rested a hand on his shoulder and promised, "Don't worry my boy, I promise I'll take good care of her. I know it may not have seemed like it during my...previous outburst but your family means a great deal to me. And I hope that by helping your sister it will help me become reacquainted with your parents so we can become close again just like back in our college days. I would especially like to get to know you and Danielle better since you're both very bright young people. Regardless, I'm sure once those ghost vermin are taken care of your next visit will be much more enjoyable; my only regret is that they sensed your sister's weakness and made Danielle a target during such a difficult time in her life. Rest assured it won't happen again."

"Thanks Mr. Masters, that makes me feel a lot better about this whole thing. It WAS kind of weird that my parents would agree to this so easily when they haven't seen you in, what, twenty years? That's a lot of trust to put in someone they haven't seen for so long. But you seem alright." Jabbing a finger at my chest though, he added mirthfully, "If you make my sister cry though, the next time I see you I'm bringing the Fenton Anti-creep stick!"

I laughed in return since I knew it was an idle threat to keep the tone light and added, "Well then, it looks like I have my work cut out for me then to avoid a beating! Now then, before you leave is there anything else you'd like to tell me? Or do you perchance have a message for your sister? I'm sure she's going to feel rather upset once she finds out the rest of you had to go back to Amity Park without saying goodbye."

Taking a moment to think about it, Jason surprised me again when he said, "Just tell her not to be too hard on herself about what happened with those ghosts; its not something she should have had to deal with on her own in the first place. Ghost hunting is THEIR thing, not ours despite them saying it's in our blood. So yeah, I know why she didn't want to tell them, but they're right, trying to face those...things alone was dangerous and could have gotten her killed. She needs to start taking better care of herself and stop taking so many risks just to impress them and prove that she can handle things by herself. I know our parents expect a lot from her but...she's only human and everyone has trouble sometimes. The most important thing to remember is to accept help when you need it. And clearly...she does."

* * *

Danielle's POV

_When I find Vlad, I'm gonna kill him, turn him full ghost, then suck him into a Fenton Thermos and throw it off the nearest cliff for good measure, _I thought darkly after finally waking up and forcing myself to get out of bed despite how heavy and lethargic I felt.

I had to get my parents back on my side about this being a stupid idea since I could just as easily rest at home too. Besides, I didn't have the strength to just straight up run away from Vlad. Or any idea how to explain why I ran off even if I did manage to make it home without him catching me first. After that, I just had to worry about them outright dismissing everything I said about Vlad being a manipulative asshole.

If Vlad seriously thought for one second I was going to sit back while he treated me like some fairytale princess he could keep locked up in his castle without fighting back, he clearly skipped the chapter where I took up arms and kicked his sorry ass. As far as literally fighting back, I knew I was in no shape to do that just yet since I felt so weak and still had to lean against the wall for support. Despite the lingering stomach pain and how feverish I was though I somehow managed to find the strength to at least get halfway down the hall before I had to stop dead in my tracks.

And before you even ask, no, it's not because I was about to faint or anything like that, it was because I could see Vlad up ahead rounding the corner. Instinctively, I tried to turn invisible but I just wound up flickering instead so I gave up. Not knowing what else to do I turned around to glance behind me, knowing I probably wouldn't be able to make it back to the bedroom without being spotted. After that, with a sigh, I decided the only thing I could do was stand my ground and face him, well, so to speak since I was leaning pretty heavily against the wall now.

It was cool to the touch and it felt wonderful. My skin was so unbearably hot right now that any small relief was welcome. Maybe not from him, but yeah leaning against the wall made me feel better and cleared my head a little. I gasped though when I unconsciously tried to become a little too close to the wall and started to phase through it. That's when I felt a sharp tug on my arm as Vlad pulled me back and I stumbled, both hands braced against his chest as he freed me from the confines of the wall.

Before I could so much as look up at him, Vlad raised an eyebrow and asked in a half-serious tone, "And just where do you think you're going, young lady? You should be in bed resting."

Glaring up at him I snapped, "Where do you think? I want to go talk to my parents without you putting any other dumbass ideas in their heads."

"Now now, don't be like that," Vlad chided with some amusement. "Besides, I'm afraid you're already too late. They just left a few minutes ago..."

I blinked, sure that I heard him wrong, and growled, "Left? What do you mean left? They wouldn't just leave me here without saying goodbye!" Using what little strength I had I shoved him away, panting from the effort, and demanded, "What did you do to them!? Did you overshadow them to make sure they'd leave before I woke up? Tell me!"

Smiling, Vlad stepped towards me and without missing a beat explained, "As I said, all I had to do was promise to care for you like you were my own daughter and they happily entrusted me with the task of nursing you back to health. Overshadowing them was hardly necessary. Even I'm shocked by how easy it was, to be honest. They really are terribly inconsiderate people when it comes to their children."

Swallowing hard, dreading the answer I backed away and asked, "What...what are you going to do with me? You already drugged me and made me feel like shit so we both know I'm too weak to fight back, but what else do you have planned? Because one way or another I'm getting the hell out of here! You can't keep me here forever you jerk!"

I expected him to move towards me, but he didn't and sighed heavily, "That language is really unbecoming of such a lovely young lady. At any rate, as I said before I am no monster. True, I have big plans for you now that I know you and I are one and the same with our status as hybrids, but I have no intention of keeping you here against your will permanently. I'm not like those villains you see in the movies who entrap helpless women and make them dependent on them through the crude use of Stockholm Syndrome. I find such methods barbaric."

Closing the distance between us, despite myself I flinched and clenched my eyes shut, thinking he was going to either get in my face and make me go back to my room by force, or scoop me up in his arms again while I was powerless to escape his grasp. But instead Vlad reached up with his hand and placed it gently against my forehead so he could check my temperature again and frowned when he noticed it had yet to go down at all. Not that I saw any of this mind you, I could only feel the heat of his hand adding to the heat from my fever and I was too busy trying to process the fact that my parents...they really just left me here with Vlad without bothering to stay long enough to say goodbye or ask me if I was even ok with this.

I knew there was a chance that Vlad was lying, but unfortunately, this sort of thing actually wasn't as far-fetched as you'd think. I can think of several times where my parents left me somewhere and didn't even notice I was missing...

Like this one time we went to the park when I was 7 or 8 and one of their ghost radars went off so they packed up our picnic in a hurry and jumped into the RV before I noticed they were gone since I was still high up in a tree at the time pretending to be an Amazonian warrior deep in the jungle. By the time I finally climbed down they were long gone and I searched for the RV all over the parking lot with no luck and started crying after sitting back down in the grass, hugging my knees. I tried waiting for them to come back since I was told to stay in the same spot to avoid getting lost like a good girl. But then I started getting scared when the sun started going down since they told me that's when most ghosts liked to come out to attack people.

Since I was a Fenton though, I buried my fear and put on a brave face after that and stubbornly decided to try walking back home by myself. I didn't make it very far because about twenty minutes later, Jason was the one who finally found me and gave me a big hug, telling me he'd been looking for me for about an hour after getting home from some club thing. The moment I realized I was safe now that my big brother was there, I started crying again and couldn't see where I was going as he quietly led me by the hand back to the house which wasn't as far from the park as I thought it was.

But the worst part of all that was...even once we DID make it back home, my parents were so busy complaining over not being able to find the ghost they detected that Jason marched over and kicked my dad in the foot since he was so mad that they left me behind and wordlessly led me back upstairs to his room and let me hug his favorite teddy bear until I finally stopped crying. That's when Jason promised that he'd protect me from then on and would make sure this never happened again, which made me feel a lot better. But that's also why he's so overprotective NOW.

As for mom and dad, they didn't find out what happened until the next day when they came to ask Jason what he was so angry about last night and saw that he let me sleep with him that night. The damage was done but they did feel bad about it and promised not to let it happen again either...

But that too turned out to be another lie.

A few years later, when I was 12, my parents were invited to this paranormal convention where a bunch of people who claimed to have either seen ghosts or were other _'expert'_ ghost hunters supposedly, they packed up as fast as they could and booked the next flight out to where it was being held. By then, I was used to them ignoring me when I asked where they were going and my brother, oh Jason was livid when he came home and found the note telling us they'd gone out of town and that Mrs. Peterson from down the street was going to watch us for the next three days.

Jason was so mad about it that he called the number they left us and asked if he could stay at a friend's house instead and threatened to just live there from now on they dismissively agreed. But since my friends were both out of town, I had to stay home by myself until our babysitter showed up. Thankfully Mrs. Peterson was a nice lady who honestly made the most amazing cookies I've ever tasted in my life that I actually got to enjoy fresh before dad could eat them all, but that's beside the point...

The point is, this isn't the first time I've been left behind.

Thinking about all of that and how this situation was even worse because Vlad wasn't just anyone, he was half-ghost like me and very dangerous, I didn't notice that I'd long since slipped into a fevered daze and was hardly aware of my surroundings anymore or who was in front of me. That's when I started feeling like the scared little girl I was that day I was left at the park and I started crying as soon as Vlad pulled his hand away from my forehead, childishly wiped my eyes with the back of my arm, and sniffled, "Don't leave me behind...please...don't leave me alone here."

Confused, Vlad asked me, "What on earth are you talking about Danielle?"

My glossy eyes peering up at him as my arm fell and another choked sob escaped my lips as my shoulders shook, I muttered over and over as the steady flow of tears ran down my cheeks, "I don't understand, what did I do wrong...? Why do you keep leaving me behind? Mom...dad...why does everyone keep abandoning me?"

Wordlessly, Vlad guided me back to the bedroom and at least had the good sense not to startle me by trying to carry me there bridal style like I was afraid of earlier. Not that it mattered at this point since I wasn't exactly lucid anymore because of the fever making my mind all fuzzy. And honestly, when I woke up a few hours later I didn't even remember any of this. Vlad did though. He remembered every word I said that bubbled up from deep inside of me in my fit of delirium and I had no doubt he was going to use what he learned against me somehow. I could only hope I didn't tell him anything too personal or embarrassing...

Still, I have to admit, as much as I hate to, Vlad actually did do a pretty good job of taking care of me while I was acting so weird. I guess he knew better than to try messing with me while I was so sick and dazed since I couldn't process even half of what he said to me. At one point I even lashed out and shot an energy bolt at him which scorched his hair a bit when Vlad tried to unbutton my pajama top to supposedly wipe off the sweat on my back. He was a lot more careful with how he approached me after that and for whatever reason didn't just pin me down with a duplicate or something to make me behave. Eventually though when the way the fabric kept clinging to my skin became uncomfortable Vlad finally managed to convince me to turn around and unbutton it myself so I could still cover myself at the front and he promised I would start to feel better once he cooled me down.

Sure enough, I did start to feel better and I almost fell asleep a few times but Vlad made sure I stayed awake long enough to finish up before tucking me into bed and finally leaving me alone after I changed into a new set of pajamas while his back was turned to me. At least this creep had that much decency. After that, Vlad said he'd come back later to check up on me and unlike how I felt about my parents leaving me...

...this time at least, I actually wanted to be alone.


	6. Enticement

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Huh, I know this story is kinda random but Vlad's turning into this sort of...misunderstood bad guy. Don't get me wrong, he's still a sly fox but he does seem to care a lot about Dani and really does want to take care of her. So basically he won't act as much like the Vlad in the show that we know and he'll be a bit more refined. Still not sure how long this story is gonna be but I guess I'll just keep going to see what I end up thinking up for this unusual pair. Also, again, romance stuff is about to happen pretty soon in the coming chapters so this is your last chance to leave before going down the rabbit hole!

* * *

**Chapter 6: **Enticement

* * *

Danielle's POV

As soon as I woke up after talking to Vlad, I tried to remember exactly what happened. Because the last thing that I remember clearly was when Vlad pulled me out of the wall after I tried to phase through it by accident. Everything after that was a big blur. I did feel a lot better though, at least physically. To tell you the truth I half expected to wake up to Vlad watching me sleep like a vampire lurking in the shadows, but when I looked around the room all I found was a note on the dresser next to me written in this impossibly fancy handwriting telling me to drink plenty of water, to call if I needed anything, and that he'd be stopping by soon to see if I was up to eating yet...

There was medicine sitting next to the water pitcher too, but I didn't trust any of it. For all I knew Vlad was going to poison me slowly to keep me sick so I'd be stuck here even longer. So instead I dumped the water down the drain in the bathroom and flushed the medicine down the toilet. I was pretty thirsty though so I refilled the water pitcher in the sink and poured myself a glass since I figured the tap was safe. But I nearly choked because of how fast I was drinking to sooth my parched throat. I took my time with the second though by taking small sips and then put everything back where Vlad left it.

I later regretted not taking the medicine because my stomach hurt so much. I figured it was still better than Vlad drugging me again though. Besides, misfiring or not, at least my powers were back so if push came to shove I could probably get out of here somehow and start making my way home. It was too late to stop my parents from leaving since I fell asleep not long after Vlad led me back to my room but-

_What's the point...? _I suddenly thought bitterly, hugging my knees and staring blankly out the window after climbing back into bed. _Vlad's right...they left me behind again like I meant nothing to them. I'm on my own and Vlad knows it. Even Jason fell for his act and was all too happy to leave me too. Even if I do make it home, mom and dad will probably just yell at me some more for being reckless and scold me for being an ungrateful guest when Vlad went out of his way to take care of me out of the '_goodness' _of his heart._

Taking a deep breath, I mentally shook my head and thought, _No, think Dani, Vlad said he's not going to keep me here forever, just until I get better. So if I can keep him from drugging me again then it won't take too long right? Stress or not my ghost powers tend to patch me up pretty fast. I just need to get through a few days at most and then I'll be in the clear. Hopefully._

Making up my mind, I looked up at the nearest clock and scowled since it was already almost time for Vlad's next visit. I wasn't ready to see him but it wasn't like I had much of a choice. With a sigh since I had a feeling he was going to make me eat with him in the dining room all Beauty and the Beast style, I got out of bed and started looking for something to wear, wondering if my parents even left anything of mine here that I packed for this short trip or if they just left without thinking as usual. Shaking my head again for real, I tried not to get too depressed thinking about everything but it was pretty hard. I still couldn't believe they would just...

I stopped rummaging through the drawers and looked out the window again at the night sky peeking through the curtains and automatically walked over to it and pulled them back so I could see the stars. You could see so many of them here, far from the city, even from between the thin wisps of cloud floating by. Watching them helped calm my nerves as I lazily traced a line with my finger to make as many constellations as I could see from here, forgetting what I was even doing before getting distracted.

I jerked in surprise when there was a knock on the door but I otherwise didn't move a muscle. I was hoping that maybe if I didn't answer and pretended to be asleep Vlad would go away. Sadly, as per usual I had no such luck since he quietly opened the door with one hand while balancing a tray of food in the other. Didn't he have like, maids for that? Then again, Vlad probably only had people come clean his castle every once in a while to avoid the risk of them stumbling across his underhanded schemes or his secret by accident. Or maybe he had ghost maids instead. That made a lot more sense and I resisted the urge to snicker imagining those three vulture ghosts ACTUALLY acting like feather dusters to clean this place.

Noticing I was up and about already, Vlad smiled after closing the door behind him and said, "It's good to see you again, little badger. You had me worried. I trust you're feeling better now?"

I didn't glare daggers at Vlad this time but I did shrug indifferently without looking at him and replied bluntly, "I've been better. And don't call me that..."

Glancing at the water pitcher I refilled earlier, Vlad saw that the medicine he left was gone too and seemed pleased that I'd taken it on my own without putting up a fuss. Only I hadn't and my stomach still hurt like hell, but I did my best not to look like I was still in any pain. The food was going to be a little bit harder to get rid of without Vlad noticing even if he did leave it behind for me to eat on my own and I won't lie...it smelled amazing, whatever it was. Assuming of course that Vlad wasn't going to watch me finish every single bite to make sure I wasn't starving myself.

"Yes well, the medicine will take about a half an hour or so to begin working but that should help with the stomach pain. As for the rest, you still need to catch up on your sleep and drink plenty of fluids so your fever will go down. We'll need to check your temperature once you've finished eating," Vlad explained casually like it wasn't a big deal which only irritated me more.

I was trying to play it cool but my head was throbbing and my stomach hurt so everything Vlad did was setting me off. Whenever I got sick I either became super depressed or super irritable and around him I seemed to be both because I was upset about this fine mess I was in thanks to him. You have no idea how badly I wanted to get to know Vlad after I first laid eyes on him. He seemed so refined, so charming, but I can see now that Vlad is just another creep like every other guy I seemed to know besides Sam and my brother. Good-looking guys are just...the worst.

Rich ones especially.

Sighing heavily, knowing Vlad would insist that I get back into bed either way, I shut the curtains and climbed back under the covers, grimacing slightly when it unsettled my stomach. While I was busy doing that Vlad had long since pulled up a chair beside me and waited for me to get settled in before setting the tray on my lap. On it was one of those fancy dinner platters with a domed lid which he lifted to reveal-

"Let me guess," I sighed again, looking over at Vlad suspiciously. "Jason told you this was what I liked to eat when I'm sick, didn't he?"

With a soft chuckle, Vlad nodded. "Guilty as charged. Now eat up while it's still hot."

Rolling my eyes I asked mockingly, "You're not going to try spoon feeding me are you?"

I expected Vlad to get annoyed and say no, but I blushed when he leaned closer to me and asked impishly, "Would you like me to my dear?"

"Oh my god no! Don't say such creepy things! " I snapped, picking up the spoon and without thinking I nearly stuffed a spoonful of the blazing hot cheesy-potato soup in my mouth when he laid his hand over mine to stop me and I froze.

"Relax Danielle, I was only teasing. And please do be careful, I don't want you to burn your tongue," Vlad warned mildly before slowly pulling his hand away again.

"Fine, I'll just wait til it cools off then," I replied stubbornly and dropped the spoon back into the bowl with a clatter and crossed my arms over my stomach, which was starting to hurt even more because the food smelled so good and truth be told I actually WAS starving. With everything that happened today, my last real meal was breakfast this morning. And even then I barely ate any of it.

_Holy shit, did all that JUST happen today? _I blinked, thinking back on everything that's happened so far.

Feeling unsure of myself, I looked over at Vlad who was acting as calm and assured as ever despite my stubborn behavior, and before I could think better of it I asked him in a leery tone, "What is your deal fruitloop? One minute you're cackling like a super villain and the next you're being all creepily nice to me. Why? I know you said something about not wanting me to hate you and promised that you wouldn't hurt my family unless they got in your way but...I still don't understand. What do you get out of any of this? Sure we're both half-ghost, but we're VERY different when it comes to how we use our powers. I can't really see us getting along at all after that shit you pulled during the reunion. I'm not-"

Lowering my voice, I muttered mostly to myself, "I don't want to be disappointed again."

"Do you really want to know the truth?" Vlad asked giving me this...strange look that was like a mixture of sympathy and longing and it made me uncomfortable. But yeah, I did want to know so I nodded.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, or more likely to weave another convincing lie, Vlad set the food tray aside after replacing the lid so it wouldn't dry out then instead of telling me what he was after Vlad asked, "Let me ask you something first Danielle. Exactly how long have you been neglected by your parents? Felt abandoned? Because earlier you confessed some things to me in a fit of delirium and I find myself genuinely concerned for your safety and the stability of your current living situation. My dear girl, you have no idea how much I identify with your plight. I may have been older than you when my DNA was...altered, but I too had no one to turn to either when I discovered what I was since your parents had long since left me to rot in that hospital for years without so much as giving me a phone call. Considering what happened that day though I was a bit more willing to forgive your mother since she did try to warn Jack that the calculations for the proto-portal we were testing were incorrect. But after seeing the way she treated you today with my own eyes I must confess that Maddie's blatant disregard for your thoughts and feelings absolutely appalled me. I expected it from your father, but not her. When I invited your family here, my original plan was to get revenge on Jack for what he did to me and convince your mother to leave him for someone better suited to the task of taking care of her and her children, but then I met you and discovered your secret and those plans quickly changed."

My heart started to race because I had a bad feeling I knew where this was going and my every instinct was telling me to get the hell out of here but I was rooted to the spot. Where could I even go to get away from him? Vlad's right, my parents were all too happy to leave me here so I was out of sight out of mind, just like he was back then...

So, what exactly did Vlad expect me to do? Tell my parents to not bother coming back so I would become his half-ghost daughter instead? I mean he did say something about renouncing my family to join him, and because of everything that's happened lately part of me was tempted to say to hell with all of this and go along with it. After all, nothing I did was ever good enough for anyone anyway. But then I realized I was just being emotional and thought, well what about my friends and Jason...? I couldn't just abandon them when there were still ghosts all over Amity Park. I had a job to do! Even if my parent's didn't give a damn, I still had the three of them.

"Ok...? So you found out I'm half-ghost and decided you want to adopt me? Is that it? And you think that if you somehow manage to win me over I'm just going to tell my parents I hate them for making me feel so bad about myself and that I want you to be my new dad? Seriously Vlad?" Averting my gaze, I continued tiredly, "Look, even if things aren't going that well for me at home, that's no excuse for what you did to me. You said you didn't want to hurt me, but you did, in more ways than one. I thought you were a really cool guy at first and it was nice feeling like someone actually noticed me for once. But now I don't want anything to do with you. You're just another adult like the rest of them who does whatever he wants and doesn't care about what I want. In the end it's all about you, which makes you no better than my parents."

"Danielle," Vlad whispered softly in this damn sultry tone that made me shiver again. "I know I have lied to you but I saw no other way to ensure that we could spend this time getting to know one another without anyone getting in the way. You are a stubborn and willful young woman just like your mother, and you hide your fear behind a brave face to cover your true feelings. I know all about wearing masks Danielle, but you don't have to with me! I know EXACTLY what you're going through my dear. The changes, the uncertainty, the abandonment, that's why I decided that extreme measures were necessary to prevent you from falling back into the trap your life there has been thus far. I can help you if you'll let me. Because it breaks my heart to see you cry so much, little badger. Your smiling face is much more beautiful."

I blushed when I realized he was complimenting me when Vlad stood up from his chair and walked over to the same window I was looking out before and continued, "Think back Danielle, even when we first fought and I didn't know you were like me, I didn't kill you now did I? And when I sent my minions after you I didn't allow any of them to harm you too badly, least of all Skulker who as you know is a hunter of sorts by trade as well and views you as a prize to be won. And yes I'll admit I failed to take certain...aspects of your physiology into account when I decided to sedate you with that drug, but everything else has been the cause of your parents and has little to do with what I've done. They're neglecting you, Danielle, surely you must realize this. You seem to exist only when it benefits them otherwise it's like you don't exist. I've made some mistakes with you it's true, however, I haven't lied to you about one thing. I mean you no harm, my dear. In fact, I want to protect you from them, from what they are. Because while they are YOUR parents, I know them far better than you do. I know their dark side. I was simply too stubborn to see the truth with your mother until I saw it with my own eyes. I may not have any siblings of my own, but it is unfair of them to favor one child and disregard the other. Your brother agrees with me on this and he told me wants you to be happy too and to take better care of yourself. I'm only here to help you achieve this and more."

"Happy?" I asked, my hands shaking. "Do you think any of this would make me happy?! I was forced into this by BOTH you and my parents! No one asked me what I want since they never do! No one gives a damn about my feelings!"

A tense silence fell between us before Vlad shocked me when he replied in a deadly serious tone, "I do."

"What?" I asked, looking up at him. Then I noticed how his eyes lit up as he strolled over to me, sat down beside me on the bed, and before I could ask what he thought he was doing, Vlad hugged me close.

It's amazing how much you can tell about a person from just a hug. Because unlike before when his embrace felt possessive as I fell asleep when the drug's influence overpowered me, this one felt...warm, sincere, and somehow very lonely like he didn't want to let go. And there it was again, this feeling of longing, because despite knowing in my head I should struggle or shove him away it was almost like I was starved for human contact too and melted into his arms. My heart was still racing and I was confused, but this felt so nice and I didn't know how to respond...

Was this another one of his tricks? A distraction? I wasn't sure but for some reason right now I didn't care. It's been so long since anyone hugged me, even Jason, and my dad's hugs were always so stiff and felt more like he was about to crush the life out of me and break my spine. But this? Vlad's arms right now were so gentle and loving that I-

"I love you, Danielle," Vlad suddenly whispered in my ear, making my brain flat-line.

_Wait, did I just hear that right? Did Vlad just say he...loves me? No, no I must have heard him wrong. Or, yeah, he meant he loves me like a daughter right...?_

Pulling back, I stared at Vlad wide-eyed as he gave me this very sensual look and then I felt his lips touch mine. I was sure this had to be another fever dream because I know I fantasized about it once in a dream before I knew what he was really like, but this couldn't be real. But I could hear his heart racing too just before Vlad stood up in a hurry without daring to deepen the kiss and he stared back at me as if shocked himself and...was he blushing too?

"I...forgive me, I should know better than to do that while you're sick. Please excuse me," and with that, Vlad legitimately fled from the room in a swirl of pink ecto-energy while I sat there too stunned to move. As I gingerly touched my lips, I could still feel the afterglow of his warmth like a brand burned into my skin, and somehow it felt like a familiar promise of affection. A type of affection I should be disgusted by but...I wasn't.

That's when I knew for sure that this wasn't a game to Vlad.

He was serious.


	7. Desire

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _WARNING! Sexual fantasies up ahead!_** Feel free to stay if that's what you're here for, but I'd suggest you skip ahead if you're not. Again, I don't approve of underage intercourse or relationships in real life but this is purely fanfiction so please don't get angry with me for writing it. You're free to go do something else instead of stick around judging me. Just saying!

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**Chapter 7:** Desire

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Vlad's POV

_You idiot! You were supposed to win her over gradually not scare the poor girl by kissing her again so shamelessly! Now I'm sure Danielle will try to run the first chance she gets! _I snarled, berating myself for letting my emotions get the better of me.

But she was so lovely, so passionate, so wounded like I was and I wanted to banish all Danielle's fears and doubts and prove that I really did love her. Danielle was intelligent, loving, and far more attentive than her mother ever was even when I tried to make it painfully obvious I was in love with her.

Forcing myself to calm down, I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled a deep breath. "I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on her. I doubt she actually took her medicine after all since Danielle appears to have this absurd fear that I intend to drug her again, meaning that she probably disposed of the pills some other way. She was still clearly in pain despite her efforts to hide it from me. Unlike her parents, I'm not blind."

Touching my lips, I recalled how it felt when I kissed her the first time as well. Again, the coolness of her skin was just right and it felt strangely soothing in contrast to how warm I was thanks to my ghost core. I've been trying to keep it under control but I yearned to hold Danielle close, skin to skin, and lavish her with affection. I dreamed about this for so long with her mother and while I have attempted to date other women at least at first to get over Maddie, there was no emotional connection between us. What's more...I couldn't use my powers either to make things a bit more interesting and now, what was only a dream before could become a reality with Danielle.

Either way, I needed to get this under control before I made an even bigger mistake with her. With that in mind, I summoned those three bird brains and told them to keep a close eye on Danielle without actually entering her room and they were to inform me immediately if she tried to escape. My ghost shield still needed work so it wasn't functional yet and up until now, there's been no need to keep a ghost, half or not, self-contained. I would need to make sure it worked on humans too since she could always change back and pass through it rather easily.

That's why I was hoping, though again Danielle was putting herself through a lot of unnecessary pain to resist me, that her illness would prevent her from trying anything foolish at least tonight. What would happen in the days to come was anyone's guess. Even I could only plan for so much because I never thought I would meet someone like me gifted with the same powers, not to mention someone who had their own reasons to hate Jack as well. More importantly however, while Jack and Maddie seemed perfectly happy together it was obvious to me that Danielle was just as lonely as I was where it mattered. She longed for someone to hold her too, to comfort her, and while Danielle tried to deny it...she yearned for human contact too.

Blushing slightly as I recalled each time I saw Danielle's bare skin, I shook my head and began getting ready for bed and to deal with...another pressing matter. Namely the one in my lower regions. As I said, it's been years since I last held a woman and I had hoped that once Jack was dealt with I could...comfort Maddie the best way I knew how. Jack didn't know this but I did almost manage to seduce her once, but that buffoon got in our way and ruined the moment and after that, it became nigh impossible to catch Maddie alone. I suppose that's why this time, I had no fear of that.

Danielle was safe here with me, and no one could interfere.

I had no intention of forcing myself on Danielle, but I'll admit that I wanted her, badly. I'm not sure if it's because we're both half-ghost or not but every time we touched I felt this...energy pass between us that made my core thrum pleasantly. I'm sure she could feel it too judging by her previous reactions to my touch as well. However, I still couldn't risk losing control again so there was only one thing left to do...

Of course, I rarely had to go to such extremes to address the issue but again this was hardly a normal situation and Danielle's presence was...intoxicating. The coolness of her skin, the silky softness of her hair, the way her blue eyes shone like sapphires glinting underwater, her scent which reminded me of the cool evening air after a rainstorm, all of these things combined made Danielle infinitely more attractive to me than her mother. I was troubled at first by our age difference but since we still knew so little about what we are, for all we know, we're immortal and the two of us are the only beings like this in all the world. We were one of a kind.

She...was one of a kind.

I gasped when I felt my shaft throb and frowned. Indeed, I needed to take care of this before I was tempted to go back to Danielle's room and finish what I started. For one thing, she needed the rest and I didn't want to make things worse by exhausting her further. Besides, if she tried to resist but was too weak to and I didn't notice then tried to make love to her anyway, that would mean I was doing so against her will and basically raping her, regardless of how gentle I'd be. I was disgusted by the idea of forcing myself on her or her mother previously. Because however sordid my feelings for Danielle were given I'm more than twice her age, I was a gentleman and wanted this to be a mutually pleasurable experience.

For now though, I would have to relieve myself through other means.

The first thing I did was undress and make my way over to the bed. I'll admit I've never done it like this before but I felt as though the better job I did now, the less inclined I would be next time to touch Danielle's skin just to spark a reaction. Besides, it wasn't so different than handling it myself since duplicates were basically only an extension of myself. This would prove informative anyway if I wanted to use this technique to explore the new ways I could make love to someone just like me who also had ghost powers. A shame I couldn't make it look like her but that was just as well since I didn't want to make things harder for myself. I could always just close my eyes and allow my imagination to do the rest.

Either way, once I was settled into bed wearing nothing but my trunks, I created a duplicate and telepathically gave it instructions on what I wanted it to do then I closed my eyes. I ordered it to undress since duplicates basically always copied my usual attire whether they were in ghost form or human which always depended on the body _'memory'_ imprinted on it from what I was wearing that day. Besides, there was no pleasure to be had watching myself undress so I allowed my mind to wander since the duplicate already knew what it was meant to do.

I felt the bed tip as it climbed into bed and crawled over to me, it started by rubbing my upper thighs then slipped a hand between my legs and started to coax my shaft to begin hardening by rubbing in small circles. I leaned my head back and moaned, imaging Danielle's hand there instead enticing me to rise. I rolled my hips to follow the motion of the hand resting on my shaft, jerking them forward every so often. We fell into a pattern and I urged them to move faster and start rubbing up and down too by thrusting my hips up to meet them, calling Danielle's name softly since I dared not shout it despite the slim chances of her hearing me.

As the pressure began to build, the duplicate briefly stopped to remove the last garment I had on without making me move too much and simply phased them off. Once I was free, it braced my legs against its hips and curled their fingers around my shaft directly, stroking it up and down and squeezing every so often as they did so to check how hard I was. I wanted to be kissed too so while their other hand was occupied pleasuring me down below, the other braced against my chest and leaned forward so our chests touched and I had to pretend that the Danielle in my mind was simply underdeveloped in the breast area to avoid losing momentum. The same went for when the duplicate's tongue slipped into my mouth and we both gasped and moaned, grinding against each other.

Once I finally felt ready we shifted positions only slightly so my legs were back onto the bed while their hips were resting on mine, slightly lifted to ready itself for penetration. I had a vague idea of how...two males went about making love but again I preferred to imagine this as Danielle's heat instead. It helped keep the illusion going. So soon after, I rested my hands on their hips and started to push up to feel for the entrance I was looking for and slowly eased my way in. After all, once I could do this with her I wanted to be as gentle as possible especially if this was her first time.

It was strange, feeling echoes of what my duplicate felt but it only added to the experience as I pushed myself inside their rear, inch by inch, until finally after what seemed an eternity they were filled with me. It was so tight there so I fell into a similar pattern of rolling my hips to loosen them up and then slowly thrust my hips up and down inside of them. I only started to move faster once it became easier to and moaned, rubbing their sides as I thrust upwards with increasing vigor as they met me and followed my movements.

I called Danielle's name over and over and poured every ounce of love into each letter as I imagined making her feel like the perfect woman she was. I was losing my mind as I became drunk on the pleasure, forgetting how long its been since I felt such unbridled desire. Whatever I felt for Maddie before paled in comparison to this. And before long I was thrusting up with all my strength, begging for release as I pulled the duplicate's body flush with mine again and was filled with ecstasy as I finally came deep inside of them. I didn't stop there, though, I kept thrusting up inside of them a few more times before pulling out, breathless.

I was far from finished though but I took a few moments to catch my breath before instructing the duplicate to get up and moving down lower to rest between my legs. As expected, my shaft started to swell again in anticipation as a tongue began to trace the length of it and swirled around the head before wrapping itself and their mouth over it and sucking. My god that felt good after getting started the other way first...

Danielle's mouth was likely too small to fit my entire girth inside but my duplicates wasn't so I simply imagined her being old enough to be able to do this after all and slowly thrust into their mouth while hunching forward and holding their head between my hands. Their tongue swirled around me but the best part was the sucking and I eagerly met each one with a thrust. I could feel something in my throat as well but this part of it at least was something I couldn't do with Danielle since she lacked those parts which was just as well since I only loved women.

And just imagining her giving me a blowjob set me off and before I could stop myself, my shaft stiffened and filled the duplicate's mouth with my cum and they instinctively swallowed. I would never make Danielle do such a thing but it hardly mattered. The whole purpose of this was to get my carnal urges under control so I wouldn't make the same mistake as earlier.

Still, my eyes rolled back beneath my eyelids as I moaned and weakly trust as the duplicate continued to suck me dry down to the last drop. And if I could feel this good just from pleasuring myself just to keep my desires in check, I could only imagine the pure rapture Danielle would feel once I made love to her in real life where there were so many more ways I could make her feel like the mistreated angel she was in my eyes.


	8. Outburst

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Just fyi, it took me ages to come up with the genderbent name for Tucker so sorry if it's generic but it was the best I could come up with that sounded even remotely good with _'Foley' _as the last name. Also, since this is an angst story poor Dani is really struggling with a lot of emotional baggage and I made her parents jerkier than I'm used to but I don't think they're this bad in the show. They can be a bit air-headed but they still love their kids. So again this is a bit of a reverse AU where Vlad's the nicer one despite his issues with Jack and her parents are the jerks, that way, Dani can get the help she needs early on in the story.

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**Chapter 8:** Outburst

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Danielle's POV

After that kiss, I wasn't sure what to think anymore.

The lines between reality and those fantasies I had about him before became a confusing blur and I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about any of it because it hurt too much. So needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night, even though I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Against my better judgment, I did go ahead and eat the food Vlad left for me though when I couldn't stand the hunger pains anymore, so that's not the kind of pain I'm talking about. I'm just glad Vlad didn't try adding anything weird to my food to make me feel worse like I was afraid he would to keep me here longer. I already had enough to worry about.

My mind was reeling because of this whole freaky situation. I mean sure I had a harmless crush on Vlad at first even though he's so much older than me, but to actually have Vlad kiss me for real on the lips and everything, well, it changed things. Then again it sounds more like he DID have a thing for my mom after all and originally wanted her and not me so...I know it's childish but knowing that made me feel even more worthless. Figures I'd be someone else's substitute or on the rebound. As if anyone would have such strong feelings for a complete loser like me out of the blue like this for any other reason.

And who knows, maybe there's something wrong with me for even caring about that. Vlad was the bad guy, plain and simple. He tried to hurt my dad and manipulated me while I was vulnerable. But the thing is...I still feel vulnerable and what he did affected me deeply, way more than I care to admit, and it made me want to run away from all this. From Vlad AND my parents.

It's hard not to feel discouraged because while I've been trying to deny it, it doesn't change the fact that Vlad can read me like an open book and knows exactly how to set me off because it's all true. The fact is, I AM sick of my parents treating me like shit when they do notice me and then they continue ignoring me otherwise. And with my brother its the polar opposite and I can't get him to leave me alone for five minutes. Sure, I still have Sam and Trish so I'm not totally alone, but aside from them, I might as well be invisible to the rest of the world.

At least fighting ghosts gave me a sense of purpose. Without that...my grades sucked and my blood was probably all weird thanks to becoming half-ghost so I highly doubt I could even get into the space program since I've always wanted to become an astronaut. And even if I tried thinking of something _'normal'_ to do for the rest of my life after high school, I bet that would fall apart too. And it would either be because of my parents, or the fact that I'm constantly being targeted by ghosts.

Basically, I'm pretty much screwed no matter what I do.

But what does he care? Vlad hardly even knows me so whatever this is, it's clearly one-sided. I'm done being used and then thrown away. If Vlad is that desperate for love he should get a cat, not confess his undying love to a sixteen-year-old. I'm not going to be a part of his sick fantasy because...because it's not like he actually loves me. Not really.

Staring blankly out the window again, I tried thinking about Sam instead but it only made me feel lonelier. Sure we've been friends since forever and I like him a lot but Sam is always so into his vegetarian protests and animal rights stuff plus it feels wrong for us to have feelings for each other when Trish is having a hard time finding a boyfriend since they are intimidated by how smart she is. That and to be honest sometimes Sam could be a bit bossy and I already had to deal with that sort of thing enough at home from my parents and my brother so...yeah.

I know this isn't about that, but the point is Vlad's right about that too. I have no one to turn to when it comes to what life is like at home or with my powers. I mean, while Sam is the one who convinced me to climb inside the Fenton ghost portal and is partially responsible for what caused the accident, he doesn't understand how much it changed me.

Vlad does though.

So maybe I'm being stupid and naive, but in the end...if he really isn't going to hurt anyone I care about then is accepting his offer so bad? I was basically fighting against two instincts, the one that was screaming at me to kick his ass and be done with it since Vlad is my enemy and the one that felt...safe and wanted when he held me in his arms and made me feel like I matter. But do my thoughts and feelings really matter to him? Or is it like with everyone else and what I want is just an afterthought? Am I just the reject Vlad has to settle for once he decided my mom isn't worth the effort of making her fall in love with him? Am I just an easy target Vlad can use for his schemes and to...express his affections?

* * *

When Vlad came to check up on me later the next morning, he didn't mention what happened last night at first but he looked worried when he saw the dark circles under my eyes. They were glossy too from the effort I was making not to burst into tears again. I felt like such a crybaby, but even at home I rarely ever cried in front of anyone. It was pointless to anyway because my parents would always tell me to tough it out and not show weakness, while my brother would try to psychoanalyze me and ask _'how that makes me feel'_ when it was pretty damn obvious.

Vlad brought me some more food and medicine but I said I wasn't hungry so Vlad sighed and set it aside for me just like before. He didn't try sitting next to me though like before to watch me eat, in fact it looked like Vlad was contemplating on whether or not he should be giving me some space but then with his hand still resting on the doorknob after only opening the door halfway I looked up when he turned to me and said softly, "For what it's worth Danielle, I'm sorry for kissing you last night. That was terribly rude of me. I was caught up in the moment and I-"

"Don't," I snapped, rolling over so my back was turned to him, not wanting to hear Vlad make more excuses. "It doesn't matter. It's not like it meant anything anyway..."

_Oh shit. Why did I say that...?! Now he's going to think I actually liked it!_ I realized too late and stiffened when I heard him close the door again and walk back over to me, before sitting on the edge of the large bed, but I was relieved that he at least kept SOME distance between us.

"That's not what I meant," Vlad explained mildly but it did nothing to calm my nerves. "I don't regret kissing you. I only regret the timing because it was unfair to you my dear. You've been through quite a lot the past few days and my feelings for you, while genuine, are rather unexpected. At any rate, my only concern right now is helping you get better because while I'm not the root of the problem you're facing, I was the one who sent your life spiraling into chaos. And for that I am sorry. I didn't plan for this either...but I'm an opportunist by nature so I adapted to the situation. As I'm sure you do when you fight."

I shrugged and pulled the blanket closer to me as if using it as a shield against his touch as I replied coolly, "Yeah well what else is new? You're not the first person to think they can do whatever they want and control my life. My parents want me to inherit Fenton Works since Jason is _'unsuited' _for that kind of lifestyle of fighting ghosts. So, what, they think I am by default? I never asked for this. And even when I did decide to start fighting ghosts on my own, I never expected to be turned into a damn freak to do it! I didn't have a choice because if I didn't do it then my parents would be put in danger instead. And now...I've attracted another freaky ghost..."

I couldn't stop myself from saying those things. I was so angry and felt so scared and hurt that I didn't even think about what would happen if I made Vlad angry. He said he didn't want to harm me, but anything could happen if he lost his temper. So I yelped in surprise when Vlad phased the blanket right off of me and his eyes flashed red as he lifted me up into a sitting position and forced me to face him. I could almost feel the anger flare like his ghostly aura and was about to instinctively transform when-

"Don't you dare call yourself a freak!" Vlad bellowed, "You are absolutely perfect as you are and far more stable than I was when my DNA was altered so be thankful for that. They're the ones who are the monstrosities, not you! They allowed their obsession with ghosts to ruin both our lives and I won't stand for it! I won't let them ruin yours too, do you hear me, Danielle? Never again. Even if I must take even more drastic measures to ensure that you are taken care of and kept away from their foolishness, I will! Because they are the ones unworthy of you, not the other way around!"

I absolutely lost it after that.

Vlad made a huge mistake corning me like that and grabbing me so roughly so I transformed and shot an energy beam at his chest to blast him back then immediately phased through the roof and flew as fast as I could. He sent me into full survival mode so I blindly chose a direction instead of following the road to get the hell out of there since I wasn't sure where Amity Park was from here plus that's what Vlad would expect me to do. Or so I thought. I didn't get far though and screamed in pain when something zapped me and forced me back. I didn't see anything though so what gives? Did he send another one of his invisible cronies after me?

Reaching out and floating a bit further in the direction of the impact, I recoiled when my hand was zapped again by an invisible barrier. Unlike my parent's ghost shield which could be seen for miles around thanks to its toxic green glow, this one was invisible which made sense since Vlad was a rich fruitloop, but that was still bad news for me. I needed to get out of here before Vlad found me so I landed and changed back to human form to try again but while I wasn't zapped again...my eyes widened when I couldn't get through in human form either! After that, I started to panic and threw myself at the barrier again and again.

"Come on, please just...just break or something! Let me out!" I grunted before giving up and staring back at the castle. I hated the idea of going back inside but if I could deactivate the barrier then-!

After that, my ghost sense went off and a few seconds later I saw Vlad appear in ghost form again right after that in a swirling pink mist. And not knowing if he'd seen me yet or not I transformed back to ghost form again to try and find somewhere to hide but then...I suddenly felt lightheaded and stumbled. To make matters worse, I stumbled right into the invisible shield and cried out again, giving away my position. I sagged onto the ground, my whole arm shaking and numb from being electrocuted again, and whimpered. God, I'm pathetic. I can't even make an escape attempt without screwing it up.

I was too busy fighting through the pain to notice Vlad approach me until he spoke up and said, "Danielle, you need to calm down. I know I shouldn't have startled you like that but-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I shrieked, knowing no one would be able to hear me but I was beyond terrified now.

I knew Vlad could kill me if he wanted to for calling him a freak too and my parents would never find the body. Or worse, Vlad might study it before getting rid of it and tell them I ran away or who knows what and they'd believe him just as easily as before. I was trapped, in this place, in this state of being, and in this kind of life. Ever since I was born I've been trapped by a family of ghost hunters that was constantly surrounded by death, whether it was ghosts or the very real possibility of me dying during a fight someday. That all seemed so distant before and I thought I could handle it, but I was only fooling myself. If ghosts didn't kill me the rest of the way quite literally, my heart would from all of this...

Once my arm stopped shaking, I grabbed my head, tangling my fingers in long strands of snow-white hair and started to breathe heavily. I couldn't take it anymore! I wanted the pain to stop and to not feel trapped anymore or fed all these lies! I just wanted someone to listen, to help me, and for a little while I thought Vlad could be that person. After all, he had an accident similar to mine too that was more or less my parent's fault.

And even if we hadn't been turned into half-ghosts, it would have been nice having someone to talk to about it who knows how reckless and stupid this ghost stuff really is at the end of the day. Even though most of it worked, it worked too well and made it even harder to hide what I was. And now...Vlad's dragged the truth out into the open about that and my feelings so it stung like an open wound. Why did everything have to hurt so much!?

I didn't even realize I was crying again until I felt my tears dampen the fabric of his outfit after Vlad ignored everything else and wordlessly pulled me into his arms and cradle me as I sobbed, rocking me gently. I felt completely numb. And it was totally his fault I was like this. All those walls I've built to protect myself and tough it out a bit longer crumbled to dust the moment I met him since Vlad was surprisingly easy to talk to when he wasn't acting all high and mighty once I found out he was a more powerful half-ghost then I was or even someone like me in general. It felt natural to open up to him even when I didn't want to and his voice, his warmth, his presence, it was infuriatingly welcoming after being left to my own devices for so long.

I should have been more afraid, I should have pushed him away again...but I couldn't. I was so tired of feeling alone and scared. And if what he was offering me was real, the chance for a better life and a chance for...someone to love me and take care of me for once when all I've been doing is sacrificing for everyone else then what did I have left to lose, really? I still didn't know if this was his plan all along, but I didn't care anymore. I lost all sense of reason the moment Vlad started paying so much attention to me when I was so used to being shoved aside or left to fade into the crowd. But Vlad saw me, he could read my emotions, and even if I was being tricked again...I wanted someone to acknowledge that I exist at all and remind me that my life still mattered to anyone.


	9. Despondent

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

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**Chapter 9:** Despondent

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Vlad's POV

Danielle's anxiety and uncertainty as it turns out ran much deeper than I could have possibly imagined. It was also clear that I underestimated her tenacity and resourcefulness when she believed her life was at risk because Danielle's attack earlier packed quite the punch. Granted I wasn't expecting it and failed to dodge it, but that's besides the point. The point is that right now Danielle is like a wounded animal who is feeling backed into a corner. She was scared, dangerous, and very liable to lash out; which I might add Danielle has more than once already...

And despite my serious lapse in judgment when I scolded Danielle for belittling herself like that, I've been doing everything in my power to be exceedingly gentle and soft-spoken with her. I simply had to continue to do so to reduce the risked of scaring her off again.

I was careful not to touch her too much either even to console her since Danielle's beauty was still so alluring and that wasn't the sort of comfort she needed right now. And the last thing I wanted to do was give into temptation again and cause irreversible damage that would make it impossible to gain her trust.

Right now Danielle simply needed someone to listen to her and ease her troubled heart and to realize she is loved as a person as well since she clearly thought I saw her as nothing but a tool or some sort of substitute for her mother. I'll admit that at first that may have been true to some extent but now, eventually I could see us doing a great many things together and the two of us had the potential to become the most powerful ghosts of all, but it still broke my heart that she saw so little worth in herself without those powers.

And from the sound of it, though I could be wrong, Danielle was more hurt by the fact that I loved her mother first rather than disgusted that an older man like myself found her attractive. Danielle probably felt inferior thanks to the fact that I had feelings for Maddie first and she was understandably better suited for me if only as someone more my age.

If only Danielle knew how mistaken she was because what I felt for her was far surpassed what I felt for her mother in intensity and it bordered on pure lust since I was finding it rather difficult to control my urges around her. Thanks to this unnatural pull between us I wanted her heart, her body, her soul all to myself whereas with Maddie it was more that I wanted the satisfaction of stealing her from Jack and proving I would have been the better husband and father, and the rest was more or less secondary.

True, I did love her once and I thought I wanted all of that with Maddie but after seeing her again and realizing how much she's changed, and not for the better I might add, I knew that she was no longer the woman for me. But Danielle...she needed me more than she realized and wanted what I have to give. Stability, protection, comfort, love, freedom, and most of all a sense of belonging...

I knew I made a grave mistake as soon as I lost my temper when Danielle called herself, and by extension myself as well, an abomination which is likely the result of how her parents portrayed all ghosts. I wasn't offended that she called me that in the least since she was clearly upset, but I was not going to allow Danielle to degrade herself simply for being what she is. Clearly, playing the hero back home was the only way Danielle could think of to stop herself from feeling afraid of her powers and find something good about these changes. And it worked for a time at least. She wasn't afraid of herself, no, Danielle was afraid of what her parents would do if they found out through either by a grievous mistake by setting off their sensors or through someone she knew exposing herself by being careless so it only added to the existing strain between them and kept her alert and on edge at all times.

Danielle's parents hate ghosts, and so did her brother to some extent due to their unhealthy obsession on the subject, but I find it hard to believe that he would reject her so easily if he ever learned the truth since Jason was clearly very devoted to taking care of her most of the time and more level-headed normally. Almost oppressively so which resulted in an imbalance in her life where one side neglected her and the other smothered her...

Things at school were hardly any better I suspect due to bullying because of her parents work which labeled their family as a bunch of ghost-hunting weirdos. Well, most of them anyway since Jason was somehow able to escape that ire. But poor Danielle wasn't so fortunate. She had no way to defend herself against their slander and cruelty because Danielle likely refused to use her powers for _'evil'_ or _'selfish'_ reasons either since she was afraid of proving her parents right about ghosts being nothing but vindictive creatures. And now that part of her was like one, it made her feel as though she was fighting against that part of her _'nature'_ by acting like such a bothersome goody-goody which is absolutely ridiculous.

She always had a choice though whether she realized it or not when it came to how she uses her powers. And while I originally chose selfish gain and revenge Danielle could have still chosen another path that still didn't harm anyone else and more importantly didn't put HER life in constant danger. A far more difficult one I'll admit given her age and living circumstances. Still, perhaps Danielle's parents have been drilling ghost fighting into her head for so long she didn't realize she ever had a choice and decided that fighting other ghosts was the only thing those powers were good for. Now that, was something even I found frightening.

* * *

Danielle was hardly aware of my presence or her surroundings anymore as she clung to me and sobbed. I used that to my advantage and teleported us back inside and continued to hold her close, rocking Danielle gently and hushing her every so often when she grew especially hysterical. I never meant to make her feel trapped because frankly the only reason I decided to test the shield again was for a worst-case scenario like this and I genuinely didn't expect Danielle to have the energy to make an escape attempt at all.

Her fever seemed to have broken despite Danielle's inability to get much sleep last night because I left in such a hurry and gave her a lot to think about which made her feel even tenser and restless. Between Danielle's parents carelessly leaving her behind even with a little convincing on my part and Danielle herself assuming I was keeping her a prisoner, none of this was going as well as I'd hoped. I had no intention of breaking Danielle's spirit because that's the thing I admire most about her...

I had to remind myself though that she was still very young and has been through some harrowing experiences lately, not to mention Jack and Maddie had taught her from a young age that all ghosts are meant to be hated and feared so while she was able to accept herself, accepting me after the way I behaved wasn't going to be easy if at all possible if things continued like this. I've tried being gentle and patient but it did little to ease her worries and I couldn't very well let this dangerous mindset continue. At the same time though I had a feeling that if she went home like this, Danielle's anger towards her parents would become painfully obvious and they would blame me for not doing a good enough job _'fixing the problem'_ with their daughter.

Regardless, Danielle was at her limit and distraught so all I could do was envelop her in my warm embrace and wait until she wore herself out again. After that, we had much to discuss and I needed to rethink my strategy. I would have preferred to move us to the bed or the sofa but after I teleported the two of us inside Danielle's grip on her hair loosened and her arms fell limp but otherwise her tears continued to flow in a steady stream and dampened my torso. I didn't mind though. Simply holding her protectively like this despite Danielle's rejection earlier when she screamed at me and told me to leave her alone, it had a very relaxing effect on me as well and I rested my head on her head, continuing to rock her and I spoke in the softest voice I could muster to let Danielle know I wasn't angry or had any intention of inflicting bodily harm.

Eventually, I would convince Danielle that I wasn't the villain here and I loved her more than anything now. I didn't have to be anymore now that I had her so long as she chose me over those fools she called parents. They're the ones who were inflicting the worse sort of harm on my little badger, meaning the wounds Danielle was suffering from were purely emotional. But I could set this right and make her whole again. I would make us two halves of a whole as the only beings like us in existence and show her a better way to live. I would show her that a life with me would be well worth her while.

* * *

It felt like an eternity before her sobs slowed to short uneven breaths and sniffles as Danielle finally began to snap out of her hysterical state of mind and as expected my touch had a similar calming effect on her that neither of us really understood yet. She was exhausted and dazed but clearly didn't want to move from where we were sitting on the floor of her bedroom. I thought about bringing us to my room but thought better of it since I might be tempted to banish her doubts by showing her how much she meant to me at an inappropriate time. At least, for now, this room was hers and familiar to Danielle so it would be better for her to come to her senses slowly in a setting she recognized at least so she wouldn't fly into a blind panic all over again.

I was worried Danielle might get dehydrated though so I created a duplicate and instructed them to go over to the water pitcher and pour her a glass of water. Tea would have been better to help calm Danielle's nerves but she was hardly in any state to move let alone hold a cup since her hands were shaking. I was worried that the anti-ghost energy that zapped her may have left some burns on her arm too so we'd need to check that. But first, I needed to make sure Danielle was in a calm enough state of mind to risk addressing these problems one at a time.

Accepting the glass of water, I reached up to take it then lifted my head to ask her, "Danielle? I know this is a lot to take in but it's going to be alright. You've been crying a lot though so you need to drink something to stay hydrated. Do you think you can drink this on your own...?"

Bewildered by my comment, Danielle blinked slowly, wiping her tears away and looking up at me. She jerked back though upon seeing that I was still in ghost form, likely associating this form with when I first attacked her and rendered Danielle unconscious. So with a sigh, I changed back to reassure her and felt the tension in Danielle's back and shoulders abate somewhat since I was still holding her close with my other arm. Danielle seemed unsure at first, still processing everything that just happened no doubt, but then she silently accepted the crystal glass I offered and tried to drink it slowly.

I wasn't sure whether her timid response was Danielle submitting to my will since she felt she didn't have a choice or sheer exhaustion but either way I waited patiently as she finished as much as she could before all of a sudden she lost all strength to grasp it and the glass slipped from between her fingers, spilling the remaining water on the floor. Thankfully it didn't break thanks to the simple fact that we were sitting on the large wool rug at our feet but that hardly mattered to me. My only concern was calming Danielle down enough to talk to her again and clear up this whole misunderstanding.

"I'm sorry...it...slipped," Danielle apologized meekly in a very hoarse, weak voice from all that crying; her tone almost fearful as if I was going to scold her for it.

We really were going to have to do something about that mindset of hers assuming I was going to reprimand her at every turn like her parents did, but either way I lifted the glass so it was sitting upright before my duplicate took it and set it back on the dresser before fading and shook my head, "It was an accident my dear, hardly worth fussing over. Now don't be alarmed but I moved us back inside of the castle while you were crying. We're back in your room now. I hope that's alright. Also-" pulling her flush against my chest I sighed and explained, "I owe you my sincerest apologies. I allowed my feelings of frustration upon hearing you belittle yourself like that get the better of me again and startled you, but I never imagined you'd have the strength to attack me let alone get outside. I'm not angry with you though nor meant to make you feel trapped. You see I was testing that ghost shield for a...worse case scenario against both human and ghost intruders but it was by no means designed to keep you imprisoned."

When she didn't resist my touch or try to push me away, I smiled hopefully and continued, "Remember my dear, before all this I thought I was the only one of my kind so it would have been pointless to create the kind of technology that could be used against me by my enemies. Aside from checking on you and bringing your meals today, I was going to give you plenty of privacy so you could rest and gather your thoughts but that clearly backfired after I decided to occupy my time testing another invention of mine. And after the way I've treated you thus far, you had every right to assume the worst of me and feel afraid, but I promise you I only want to help you. I had no idea things were-"

"It doesn't matter anymore..." Danielle replied listlessly which only made me feel more concerned. "I always come in second, it's been that way my whole life so what difference does it make now? My parents clearly don't care what I want. And even if you do its...it's all the same..." breathing heavily again, she whimpered helplessly, "I'm never going to be good enough."

"Shh, don't say such things because you're wrong my dear," I argued, rocking her a bit more again in hopes of staving off this growing despair gripping her heart. "My feelings for you are stronger and more real than anything I felt for your mother. You are a very clever, benevolent, honorable, compelling, capable, and earnest young woman of unimaginable promise that has been taken for granted for too long. But I can help you tap into that potential and show you a world beyond your wildest dreams. You deserve that and much more..."

I could feel my heart racing since we were so dangerously close again but I couldn't help it. I wanted her to know she was loved and to never doubt it again. As a result, I ran my hands slowly down her shoulders, tracing her arms which made Danielle's body quiver, but I stopped when she hissed in pain and my gaze immediately fell on the afflicted area. After that, I mentally shook myself to get back to business and without asking since Danielle was still in ghost form, I captured her arm and as tentatively as I could I removed the white glove and rolled up the sleeve to expose the wound on her arm and frowned.

The anti-ghost and human shield was meant to detour any foolish enough to approach and while I normally didn't care if it inflicted pain on my ghostly trespassers, Danielle was hardly an enemy and I didn't want to cause her any more pain. I could hear Danielle's heart racing too as my fingers brushed the scorch mark left on her skin but even so, I leaned down and kissed it softly, wishing I could will the pain away through that action alone.

After that, I decided the most important thing to do was dress the wound before it caused her even more pain. So I moved to stand up this time to fetch a first aid kit when Danielle surprised me by grabbing my suit vest and whispered shyly, "Don't go. Please?"

Not sure what to make of this, I nodded and complied with her wishes, shifting positions to make things a little more comfortable for us both. We were, after all, sitting on the stone floor despite the rug beneath us at present. Realizing this, Danielle looked around and blushing deep red she added, "Um...can we move over to the bed? My legs are going numb."

Smiling I replied, "Of course," then deftly lifted her into my arms after picking up the glove to set aside since I still needed to tend to her burns.

For now, I'd have to settle for briefly dabbing it with a wet cloth before allowing her to lower her hazmat sleeve again, replacing her glove, and changing back to human form as she made herself comfortable resting her head on my chest, sighing. I wasn't sure if this was a trick or she'd given up this senseless struggle against irrational fears but for now, I could care less. Holding her in my arms, it gave me another sort of satisfaction and I felt content for the first time in what felt like years. Finally, I was holding someone worthy of my love and if I could just convince Danielle that my original plans for her future with me once she first came into the picture have long since been altered. Someday she would be all mine in every sense of the word of course, but honestly, there was no need to rush things anymore. Once Danielle recovered her strength and it finally sank in that I wasn't going to keep her captive or hurt her, I'd leave it up to Danielle to decide if she wanted to stay here with me a while longer and try to understand me better or return home.

I'm a patient man. And I had everything else I could possibly want or need in life besides Danielle's heart so in retrospect if I allowed her to leave now so Danielle could come to her own conclusions about me and choose to accept my love willingly it would make things much easier. She was still young, I understood that, so even if it took some time to get to the point where Danielle and I could make love to one another, I was willing to wait for her. I waited over twenty years to win Maddie's heart...

I could wait a few more to win Danielle's.


	10. Compromise

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** Alright so a recent reviewer pointed out a possible tag mistake but I told them as I'm about to tell the rest of you to hopefully clear up a bit of confusion is that basically, the simplest way to put it is that my _"Dani"_ is not clone-Dani from the show. It just felt weird and kept confusing to me as I was working on the first chapter to call her _"Danny"_ too so I opted to use the female variant to simplify things so I didn't accidentally forget to write that _"he"_ is a _"she"_ in this story. Furthermore, the female Danny used here is loosely based off the genderbent version designed by Amethyst-Ocean, an amazing artist who has created many drawings in the show's art style. Hope that helps!

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**Chapter 10:** Compromise

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Danielle's POV

I can't even begin to tell you how tired I was of fighting in more ways than one. I was at the point now where even if this was all some elaborate trap or Vlad's was attempting to seduce me, I honestly didn't care anymore. For once in my life, there was someone in front of me who wanted me around, someone who seemed to care enough about me to acknowledge I was even in the room, someone who could make me feel...well, alive again.

And I knew in my head that I shouldn't feel that way around a dangerous guy like Vlad who attacked, manipulated, and then outright drugged me, but for some reason whenever he touched me I either felt my heart shutter pleasantly as a thrill ran up my spine and or being enveloped by his warmth felt almost frighteningly reassuring. Needless to say, his touch had a much more of a soothing effect than that sedatives ever did...and it unnerved me.

This feeling, whatever it was, obviously wasn't something I was just imagining like I thought I was. There was something more to it that connected the two of us. It was odd sure, but at least as far as I could tell those feelings were real. I tried rejecting them at first after learning what Vlad was really like and yet, I couldn't exactly turn them off. Besides, Vlad was making it hard to keep my thoughts and feelings in check when he kept throwing me off by refusing to get angry and reciprocate by acting like a jerk again every time I lashed out at him which would have made it easier to find an excuse to fight back...

Yet somehow Vlad was able to stay calm and continued being nice to me even after I said all those things to the point that it was almost like..I was being the unreasonable one here even though Vlad's the one who convinced my parents to abandon me here in the home of a near-total stranger. So, what, did Vlad really not care what I said one way or another? Or was it more that he knew I didn't mean most of it?

Well, whatever his deal is, I'll admit, it's a nice change of pace to have someone not automatically give me the 3rd degree. Honestly, I was so used to that happening whenever I talked to someone that I reflexively got all defensive and snarky when I felt vulnerable or I was bracing myself for either a verbal lashing from one of my teachers, a bully at school, or my parents scolding me as usual. But Vlad wasn't doing either of those things. In fact, he apologized for upsetting ME and it suddenly made me doubt myself. Was I being too hard on him because now I just assumed Vlad was lying to me all the time? Things may have started out black and white in my eyes when I saw his true colors but now-

Everything was different.

If I'm being honest with myself, this is the first time I've been around a ghost or, well, half-ghost in Vlad's case who wasn't interested in skinning me alive. He didn't know I was half-ghost too before I passed out and likely reverted to human form again after we fought the first time. But once Vlad realized his mistake he was careful not to repeat it. Besides even when Vlad did start making plans for me instead of gunning for my dad and wanting to win my mom over, he tried to trick me first before I saw the torn photograph and basically only switched tactics when I caught him in a lie.

So I had to wonder, when he brought me there, was Vlad planning on revealing his secret that he was just like me right then and there and wanted to apologize for attacking me before? And when he did send ghosts after me, his only goal was to distract me and Vlad never made a move to intervene personally until it looked like Skulker DID want to kill me. Besides, Vlad outright said he didn't want to hurt me before those ghost octopuses made their move before Skulker even revealed himself after shooting me with a tranquilizer. Needless to say, looking at it like that, Vlad wanted to win me over and only resorted to violence knowing that my first instinct would be to fight back rather than listen to _'reason...' _

Well, what would Vlad have done if he were in my shoes? Accept his offer without questioning his motives and give up my life in Amity Park? If he met a ghost who had a grudge against his dad, wouldn't he- No, no I didn't know if Vlad even HAD a dad anymore or if he did if they were even on good terms. For all I knew Vlad would have gladly let them off his dad which is a scary thought. Either way, Vlad had no idea what I was going through let alone how I felt. Vlad was still in college when he got those powers and most likely had to drop out for awhile to get them under control and only went back to school and got all this money once he could. But for me, I was in constant danger just like he said with pressure on all sides that I couldn't escape. I didn't have the luxury of dropping out of school because my parents would probably disown me or start to home-school me to take over the family business.

I guess that's why...after my parents ditched me here the idea of just leaving it all behind was becoming more and more tempting. Let them fight those ghosts for once. And if Vlad didn't plan on isolating me completely I could always call my friends and my brother whenever I wanted. But...what would accepting Vlad's offer cost me? Was he going to become my legal guardian now once my parents decided this was _'best for me' _or was Vlad going to rig everything to make them lose all custody and the right to see me at all? I mean sure I didn't want to see them right NOW since I WAS pissed at them, but not seeing them ever again? Could I live with that?

In the end, I had no idea what Vlad really wanted from me and I was afraid to find out if I'd have to...do things with him. He says he loves me, but in what way? Platonic? As a woman? For all I knew that kiss was like any kiss a parent might give their child. It wasn't deep or invasive or anything. Then again, Vlad did say he originally wanted my mom before he wanted me so I wasn't so naive that I'd assume all he cared about was playing house and raising me and Jason with her...

Vlad was trying to be subtle about it but I could tell his touches were...practiced and deliberate. They frightened and fascinated me at the same time because I couldn't help but respond and feel my skin ripple as he drew me closer. I used to wonder what doing it with Sam would be like, but it always got weird at the end since we've been friends since kindergarten. With Vlad though, it felt like a natural response, almost like he was...my other half. I know that sounds weird but I don't know how else to explain it. It wasn't just a physical reaction, it was a compulsion, an instinct. And since I didn't really know much yet about what being half-ghost meant, maybe it was like a sort of ghost alpha thing since he was more powerful than me.

Then again what do I know?

In the end, I only knew one thing for sure. I've had enough. My parents leaving me here was the last straw and we were going to have words when and IF I ever did go home. Because I'm tired of trying to please them let alone argue with them about how I was living my life and what I wanted to do in the future. They didn't give a damn what I wanted to be, they only wanted me to be the next owner of Fenton Works and hunt ghosts well guess what?

I WAS fighting ghosts and what good did it ever do me or anyone else? That was supposed to be their job but until they saw me and ghost started showing up everywhere they had honestly never seen a real one as far as I know and it only made ME a target when I was in ghost form and my powers set off all of their inventions. I couldn't get away from it at home, school, with my friends, or in town, ghosts were just...a constant for me.

So, why not let Vlad become a new constant in my life if he WAS willing to help me after all? I guess that's why after my meltdown earlier...I lost the will to fight it anymore because it was pointless. I couldn't please everyone. And if Vlad meant anything he said to me, or was sincere about his feelings then...there were worse reasons to accept the help of a villain and fall from grace, right...?

* * *

Vlad's POV

Danielle was exhausted so it's no wonder she fell asleep soon after she and I became a little more comfortable on her bed. And this proved my theory that whatever this bond between us was, it was mutual because Danielle couldn't help but respond to my touch and couldn't bring herself to reject me again. I was taken aback that she asked me not to leave let alone requested that I bring her over to the bed knowing I might be tempted to...well you know. So perhaps it was some kind of test. If so, I hope I passed because I really was beginning to worry that the execution of my plans was doing more harm than good.

Even so, Danielle looked deceptively relaxed and at peace when she slipped away into oblivion. I could feel the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed and the steady pulse of her heartbeat because of how close we were. To be honest I was so content that it nearly lulled me to sleep too but now was hardly the time for that. It was barely even noon and I had things to do such as find out what those brutes she called parents were doing. I'm surprised they didn't call me the moment they got home to check in on their daughter. Then again, maybe they have and I missed their call...

With that in mind, as much as I loathed leaving Danielle's side, I brushed her hair back, kissed her forehead and gently untangled myself from her embrace. A look of malcontent flitted across her face but I ignored it. I did, however, take the time to properly examine her arm while she was asleep and applied some ointment after rolling up her sleeve and then protecting the wound by wrapping it in a nonadhesive bandage.

This whole thing really made me question my methods, shocking I know, but it felt as though I was doing everything wrong as far as Danielle was concerned. She was frightened of me and the implications of what my feelings for her meant, and more importantly, there was this...anger at being lied to and coming in second that I wasn't expecting. Not that I blame her because Jack and Maddie clearly had no clue how to raise their children. There was little I could do about previously being in love with her mother for several reasons, the most obvious of which was that I knew Maddie before Danielle was even born.

I have tried being more honest with Danielle than I usually would have been, and once her stubbornness abated it seemed to help reduce her stress levels a great deal once it was clear that I wasn't angry nor was going to be short-tempered with her. I was angry with the way she's been treated and how no one noticed how gifted and intelligent she was given the chance to prove herself even if those skills were more...practical rather than reliant on cold hard facts memorized in some textbook. Danielle was very attentive and witty, relying on logic to paint a full picture and most of the time it served her well. However, she was used to ghosts attacking and acting in the moment, whereas I carefully planned each move and had several backup plans should one fail.

Either way, I needed to do what was best for Danielle even if it meant sending her home at this point. Keeping her here was hardly helping matters but at the same time I couldn't very well have her slip back into that vicious cycle of neglect and fighting for her life against random ghosts likely released into this world via a portal it's own creators barely understood. The fools...

But before any of that I needed a fuller picture of how things were going in Amity Park with her parents before formulating a new plan, a plan I hoped would bring Danielle closer to becoming mine even if the distance between us increased again. I'd have to keep tabs on her to make sure she was protected of course, but it didn't necessarily have to be directly.

I could provide her with some sort of undercover guardian or at the very least send other ghosts to deal with the minor annoyances to reduce her burden if she went back to fighting ghosts. I hated the idea of Danielle fighting at all, however, given her headstrong personality it likely served as an outlet for her anger while doing something productive with her powers so who was I to rob her of that? The fact is I wanted Danielle to become stronger. I wanted her to become my equal. And while I wanted to keep her safe as well, I knew now that forcing that protection on her would only make Danielle it more likely that she would reject it to prove she could handle anything life threw at her.

And while I admired her passion I knew that this was a dangerous way of thinking as there would always be a ghost more powerful than the last. She was lucky that while I was one of those ghosts, I didn't have any reason to destroy her. In fact, I wanted to preserve her life as long as possible so that one day...we could share it.


	11. Unrest

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** I'm sure you guys will notice it right away but I changed the cover art for this story since I wanted to give this _"Danielle"_ her own identity even though her looks are still loosely based off of Amethyst-Ocean's genderbent artwork. I also started to feel kinda bad using part of one of her drawings for the cover of a...naughty story like this. I'm sure I'm not the first person to have done this but either way I think it's a good idea to switch it out. Also, I forgot to do this earlier in the story and I might go back and change it but just like how _"Jazz"_ is a nickname for_ "Jasmine"_ I've decided to nickname her genderbent version _"Jace."_

* * *

**Chapter 11:** Unrest

* * *

Vlad's POV

"_Jace speaking,"_ a familiar voice replied once I was finally able to get through to at least one of the Fenton's.

I'd been forced to call Danielle's brother when no one answered the house phone. But this was probably for the best anyway so I could get a feel for the current situation over there because again, they should have contacted me sooner to check on their sick daughter as soon as they got home. I knew it the trip from Amity Park to Wisconsin and back took about a day and a half driving, but tired or not one would think they'd check in sooner.

"Jason? This is Vlad Masters. How are you?" I asked cordially, reminding myself that Jason was basically what they call a super-senior in highschool meaning even if he was staying an extra year to accumulate more credits he likely didn't have to stay in school the full day.

Sighing heavily, Jason replied, _"Can't complain, but actually, I'm glad you called. Sorry I couldn't call you sooner, mom and dad got into a huge argument and I had to play mediator and then Dani's friends came over because they said they were worried when she didn't come home and they wanted to know what happened. How's Dani doing by the way? Is she getting enough sleep and eating properly?"_

"Well as expected, Danielle was understandably very upset at first when I gave her the news that the rest of you returned home without her and had a bit of a fever but she's doing better now. She's resting at the moment since we had a rather...eventful morning. You'll be happy to know that her fever broke rather quickly which was a huge relief. What about your parents? What were they fighting about exactly?" I asked, trying to sound neutral and concerned but I was smiling, hoping the guilt of what they've put Danielle through was gnawing at their hearts. I was disappointed however when I heard the actual reason Jack and Maddie were arguing...

Not that it surprised me, but Jack forgot their wedding anniversary yet again it seems and Maddie accused him of being part of the reason Danielle put herself in harm's way just to avoid talking to them. She knew they were both to blame but Maddie believed that Jack's own inattentive and forgetful nature about anything other than ghosts, such as when it came to keeping the lab tidy himself, was yet another reason why Danielle wasn't able to defend herself against my vultures and got so sick in the first place.

Ideally, they both should have noticed Danielle's distress much sooner, but since Jack was the one who seemed to spend the most time with Danielle it apparently fell on his shoulders to pick up on the warning signs that something was wrong. Oh please, the day Jack realized ANY of his mistakes or faults would be the day I gave up my billions and donated every penny to some charity and then went to live in the mountains for the rest of my life living off the land like some animal. And good lord, was Maddie really placing the blame solely on her husband for what they both did to Danielle through countless years of neglect and unrealistic expectations? She was just as much to blame for this as he was.

And yes forgetting such an important anniversary would set any woman off but shouldn't they, well I don't know, set that aside to actually focus on something much more important such as actually making sure Danielle was doing alright? How was she going to feel even without all this frustration about how they've treated her if she heard they were fighting because of her and if things escalated might get a divorce? Personally, I could care less about what they did since I didn't want Maddie anymore. But Danielle...as angry as she was at them she still loved her family dearly and would be devastated to find that her family had fallen apart while she was gone. She'd likely blame herself for it like most children do and forever wonder what she could have done to prevent it.

And we certainly couldn't have that.

It wasn't Danielle's job to fix everything, let alone something that in my opinion was broken from the start. Still, this was very troubling news because while I wanted to give Danielle a choice between staying here with me or going home I did not want to subject her to such a disagreeable situation and end up watching helplessly as her life unraveled even more. This issue needed to be addressed for Danielle's sake, not theirs because I didn't want my little badger to think for one second that any of this was her fault. In all likeliness, if the trend of Jack's thoughtlessness was consistent enough, then it belayed a much bigger problem in their marriage that had nothing to do with their son and daughter, not in the least...

Considering my options carefully, I decided that as a _'good friend'_ I should talk some sense into those two and asked Jason to let them know I called and to contact me as soon as possible. The rest I'm afraid, was out of my hands unless I decided to implement one of my underhanded tactics to...save their marriage with a few well-timed overshadowings to make them forget this nonsense to focus on the most precious thing in their pathetic lives. And no it was not their small ghost-hunting family-run company, not their anti-ghost inventions, and most certainly not their marriage, but the two wonderful young people their love gave life to that should be the most important part of their lives.

Well no matter, Jason was a smart young man as well and nearly old enough now to move out on his own so he could hold his own if he had to. But Danielle...she's the one I'm more concerned about. I should have realized sooner that aside from her home life she did, in fact, have friends of her own there. And as much as I wanted to keep her here where she would be safe and nurtured and convince Danielle to throw that all away to be with me, even I understood that this was a selfish and terribly unreasonable request.

At the very least, I should let her graduate high school before making my next move to win Danielle's heart, as reluctant as I was to endure her absence now that I too yearned for it almost painfully so. As I said before though if making her mine cost a few years of waiting it would be worth it.

* * *

By the time I returned to check on Danielle by poking my head through the door by phasing through it, she was still fast asleep and I smiled softly. It was a relief that she looked much more peaceful now as opposed to before when Danielle's expression looked pained and troubled.

Sadly, I spoke too soon when a soft whimper reached my ears and I saw her fingers twitch. She rolled over a few times, twisting the blankets and I was taken aback when Danielle spoke in her sleep and begged- "...what are you doing? Please...don't-" Danielle flinched again and gasped, "Wait, wait you don't have to attack me, I promise I'm not...a bad ghost. No! Not the Fenton-?!"

Bolting upright in bed, Danielle's hair fell over her face like a silk curtain, veiling her wide fearful eyes. I'm not sure what sparked this nightmare but it made Danielle's shoulders tremble as if suffering from a chill, but then I noticed a thin wisp of cold air escape her lips and realized...that was her ghost sense going off. How fascinating, so even that part of our basic ghost powers was different since mine was more like this feeling of unnaturally hot air passing through my nose sort of like when you're enjoying the smell of a hot meal and can feel the heat coming off the steam. Only I would exhale this heat rather than inhale.

Either way, I instinctively turned invisible before she noticed my presence and drew my head back out of the wall before regaining my composure to make it look as though I only just arrived and didn't witness her waking from a nightmare only to find that I was absent from her side. So when I opened the door normally and saw her brushing some small teardrops from her eyes with her fingers I pretended not to notice. I wanted Danielle in a relatively good mood before I gave her the news that I recently contacted her family. What's more, while I wanted to be attentive to her needs I knew better now than to try smothering the poor girl by overstepping my bounds.

"Vlad?" she asked, confused that I was coming back into the room rather than leaving it as expected. "Ugh, how long was I out for?"

"Honestly, you slept through most of the afternoon but considering what happened this morning that is entirely understandable. Are you feeling any better my dear? I took the liberty of taking care of your burns from when the prototype ghost shield zapped you. And again I'm terribly sorry you were hurt. I should have known better..." And since this was true I allowed some genuine remorse to seep into my voice, glancing over at her as I closed the door behind me to measure her reaction.

To my surprise, Danielle was blushing and pulled the blankets up close as if to protect her modesty and whispered, "I already know this is a stupid question but you didn't do anything...weird while I was asleep, did you?"

Amused by this, I chuckled and confessed, "As tempted as I was to curl up in bed with you once you dozed just to stay close, I knew better than to do that since you were injured. I didn't want to risk making it worse and it was easier for me to treat your burns while you weren't putting up a fuss or flinging ecto-energy rays at my head."

Wincing, Danielle laughed nervously in response and said, "Yeah well...when said guy has attacked and drugged you before that seems like an appropriate reaction." Growing a little more somber though, Danielle asked me, "So, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" I asked in return, earning an irritated scowl from her that soon melted into an uneasy expression.

"I've...been thinking about everything you said, what you've done and-look, I honestly don't know if this is all a trick and you just want me because I have the same powers as you or whatever but this whole thing between us is...weird. Not bad weird like I thought but I don't understand it at all. There's obviously something going on between us and I can't figure out what it is. You feel it too right? The way we...gravitate towards each other? It's like...now that I've met you and know you're like me I feel this weird feeling of emptiness when you leave the room if that makes any sense. But I've been feeling that way for awhile because, well because of everything going on back home. So I have a question for you," her blue eyes bore into mine as she stood up, proud and tall as she drew in a deep breath before voicing her concern, "What exactly am I to you? A new obsession? A substitute for my mom? An underling you can mold to your liking? A pet project? I just can't figure out what you're thinking or where this...thing you have for me even came from. Like why do you care so much one way or another how I feel about you if you're just going to keep me here anyway, prisoner or not? Why are you still being so nice to me when I said such awful things?"

"That's technically more than one question, but alright," I nodded in understanding, happy that Danielle was taking the initiative to find out what my feelings and motivations were.

And since she seemed placid enough, I strode over to Danielle took a small risk by reaching up to tenderly tuck some of her dark hair behind her ear. I didn't want to push my luck though so I allowed my hand to fall, content to simply look into those beautiful shining eyes of hers as I told her softly, "To put it simply, in my eyes you are an unexpected miracle that I never could have imagined coming into the world. And I mean this quite literally because the chances of anyone becoming a hybrid like me are, well, let's just say the numbers aren't favorable. What's more, you're not the only one feeling this unnaturally strong pull between us which I have a few theories about but I'll get into the technicalities later. And yes, I'll admit that in many ways you are my new obsession, but in retrospect, that is probably a good thing since it gives me something else to devote my time and effort to then ruining your father's life as he ruined mine. You are also by no means a substitute for your mother, you can't be when what I feel for you is-" shaking my head though to steer the conversation to something more important I asked, "At any rate Danielle, I promise I will answer all of your questions as best I can first but we have something very important to discuss. You see, I tried calling your parents to-"

"You couldn't reach them, could you?" Danielle continued for me, not surprised in the least and I nodded. Crossing her arms, she turned away from me and tried to act indifferent but the news seemed to upset her as Danielle replied rather curtly, "They're probably just busy, as usual. Anyways, um, no offense but can this wait? I seriously need to take a shower..."

"Of course my dear. There's a change of clothes in the closet for you and once you're finished and then we'll have lunch while we discuss matters," after that, I graciously left her to her own devices...trusting Danielle to some extent not to do anything foolish even though I knew taking a shower was partially just an excuse to get rid of me.

But since I'm also a careful man by nature I discreetly called for my vultures and reminded them what would happen if they failed to do their job of keeping an eye on Danielle again. Besides which, if she saw them, Danielle would blame them for her ghost sense going off without realizing that I saw her wake from a rather unanticipated nightmare. A nightmare where she did indeed fear her parents to some extent, both with unjust punishments...and unprovoked attacks on her ghostly counterpart.


	12. Ambivalence

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** Oh wow, I only saw the email notification for the first recent review but I'd like to take a moment to give a special thank you to _"GiselleVera"_ for sending me so many at once! I had to translate them through Google but it was worth it and hearing all that makes me very happy. I'm glad everyone seems to like this story so far because while I have written other Danny Phantom stories with Vlad on my other account they never had romantic elements. So here I'm really pushing the whole possessive-cunning-vampire-ghost theme with him and yet this version of Vlad is a bit more...eloquent, charming, and gracious to someone he feels a real connection to which in this case is Danielle. Ah and one last thing real quick, since this is an AU of sorts I'm taking a few liberties as far as how having ghost powers effects Vlad and Dani, so while it hasn't been revealed yet, Vlad has a heat core and Dani has a cold core so to everyone else they feel unnaturally warm or cold and it's difficult for any normal person to change their temperature outside of when they're sick and have the usual symptoms.

_**P.S.** Also, more sexual fantasies up ahead! You've been warned_!

* * *

**Chapter 12:** Ambivalence

_(Chapter inspired by "Scars To Your Beautiful" original by Alessia Cara, cover song version by Madilyn Paige)_

* * *

Danielle's POV

I didn't get into the shower until I was dead-certain Vlad left because even now I had no idea what he was thinking and part of me was paranoid he was going to be a peeping tom and was secretly watching me invisibly like some ghost-pervert. I sighed in relief though when I glanced outside the window while closing the curtains and saw one of those vulture ghosts in the distance circling overhead, playing lookout no doubt. That explained why my ghost sense woke me from that nightmare earlier...

I mean sure my parents have attacked my ghost-half before but that was the first time I actually felt afraid of what would happen if I messed up and they caught me. Because while I was easy to forget as their daughter, their obsession with the ghost-girl, aka Dani Phantom, bordered on flat out more scary than any horror story. Sure it bothered me before as a kid the way they happily talked about dissecting and destroying any ghosts they found even though I was taught to think they were all evil, but until I basically became one too I wasn't afraid of having that hatred directed towards me.

Too bad that wasn't the case anymore.

I'm just glad they DIDN'T patrol for ghosts every night like I did because if that were the case they would have shot me out of the sky months ago. Especially when I was still getting the hang of this and decided to even become a ghost-fighting hero after Sam nearly got tenderized himself when that Lunchlady ghost got pissed when he tried changing the school lunch menu to more vegetarian...stuff. Don't get me wrong, I supported both of my friends since Trish loved meat and Sam loved veggies but to be fair, it was kinda unfair to the rest of us to force us into eating nothing but greens ourselves. But anyways, I'm getting off topic...

After getting undressed and climbing into the shower, even though I was more tempted to take a long bath to help me relax and unwind, I sighed as the warm water helped uncoil my tense muscles and helped clear my head a bit. I was still on the defensive around Vlad because while he says he didn't mean to hurt me directly, maybe he was making excuses and those _'accidents'_ gave him a reason to play nurse and tend to my injuries. At least, that's the impression I got when he...kissed my burn mark.

It healed long before I woke up since the injury was superficial but my skin still felt unusually feverish there from where his lips touched my skin almost as if it was leaving a new mark in its place. I shivered despite the hot water flowing across my skin and paused the touch my lips again, remembering Vlad's kiss. Only now I had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't the first time he's done something like that. I still couldn't say for sure, but when I vaguely remembered the dream I had before waking up that night after Vlad _'found me'_ in the hallway, those seductive words I heard in Vlad's voice at the time made a lot more sense to me...

__...I think I'll make you mine instead, my dear.__

__Don't worry, you're not alone anymore...__

Again I could feel every inch of my body quiver at the thought of _'belonging'_ to Vlad after remembering the possessive yet gentle way he held me in his arms in the first dream I had about him and when the tranquilizer made me collapse into his awaiting arms before the world faded from existence. And then how just recently Vlad held me in his arms again only I was the one who asked him to.

The big difference here though was, again, I felt strangely safe and complacent there even though in my head I KNEW Vlad basically rigged the situation to work in his favor and didn't care about what I wanted. But which one was the true Vlad? I still had no idea how to tell the difference or even if it mattered anymore, but strangely enough, his _'possessive' _side was still very loving and tender with me so maybe that wasn't so bad either. At least Vlad uh...wanted me which was a nice change of pace even though it should be all kinds of wrong because of who he is and WHAT he is.

Then again, I wasn't exactly a hundred-percent human anymore either so maybe this was a sort of freaky primal instinct for the two of us and that's why we found the other so instantly attractive because we're the only two of our species basically. I mean I'm no ghost expert but what I did know is they were ruled by an '_obsession' _and if Vlad's was to find love most of all and not revenge while mine was to be accepted by someone, maybe that's what's going on here.

Still, I had to be careful not to let Vlad lull me into a false sense of security again just in case he changed his mind and did try sending his goons after my dad one Vlad thought he _'won' _my heart. If he was right though and I really mattered more to him now, was it entrapment to let him have me? Did that mean this was basically my life now and I could never go home or see my family and friends again? The thought scared me because even though things weren't perfect I relied on my friends and family for support, I wasn't as good as Vlad at playing the loner...

I was tired of feeling alone.

Just thinking about being with Vlad made my heart race and I started to feel dizzy and aroused so I sagged against the wall of the shower and closed my eyes, the steam of the hot water curling off my skin in a thin vapor. Ever since I became half-ghost, whenever someone hugged me or made contact with my bare skin they complained that it felt too cold, but I didn't really notice it because personally, I felt fine. In fact, on cold days I seemed to feel more energized and enjoyed flying for no reason when it was raining just to feel the cool droplets of water pelt my face and soak my hair. We even tried an experiment to bring body temperature up but nothing worked.

As Vlad discovered though, whenever I got sick or blushed hard enough I could still feel my skin heat up, meaning he could probably feel it too. However, the rest of the time my skin was naturally cool to the touch and thankfully not bitterly cold which would have been bad news for me if my parents noticed. But when Vlad touched me, the effects were instant and it was like slipping into a warm bath, everything else seemed to melt away and it was hard not to feel at ease whenever he was acting all calm and charming and like he...enjoyed having me there. I guess that's why, despite everything that's happened between us the past few days, I was warming up to the idea of liking him again.

And that included the idea of actually falling in love.

The heat of his skin seemed to make my heart melt every time Vlad touched me or even brushed his fingers across my skin and I tried to imagine the heat from the water was the heat of his body pressed against mine. I gasped softly, envisioning Vlad running his hands across my shoulders and pulling my hair back so he could kiss my neck. Honestly, I may have just been dazed from turning up the heat on the water so high but this felt so real and as I said, it took a lot of heat to counter my ghost powers or whatever it was that made my skin so naturally cool. Basically, I wanted his heat to consume me since I was tired of feeling like I was cold, alone, surrounded by an oppressive and frighteningly lonely darkness.

I could almost feel his hands ghosting across my skin, making it ripple as it sent a thrill up my spine before his hands came to rest on mine and our fingers interlocked. I had to open my eyes to make sure this wasn't actually happening because if it was then I was not ok with him sneaking into the shower with me like this. But I couldn't see anything or felt the presence of a ghost so I let my eyes drift closed to resume the heated daydream I was having. It helped me go numb for a little while and forget my troubles and just...feel.

I pressed myself flush against the tiled wall and imagined Vlad's chest against my back as he began grazing his teeth lightly across my shoulder, the tip of his tongue tracing along my neck. Then I felt one hand slide back down my arm, shoulder, then reach back around to snake across my stomach, reaching ever lower. And as I imagined his hand resting over my heat I felt it start to throb slightly and my hips begin to shake in anticipation. I have no idea what came over me while I was only taking a shower but I felt really hot and bothered all of a sudden so I reached down, imagining Vlad's hand instead of my own, and started stroking myself. Stifling a moan I moved faster, my hips grinding into my hand but it wasn't until I slipped some fingers inside that I really lost my mind.

The pleasure was pretty intense but I really wished Vlad was actually in here now, making love to me since I wasn't normally like this. Sure, like any young woman I had those feelings but I didn't like the idea of doing this to myself to get off. I wanted a real man to hold me and make me feel like I was the most beautiful creature alive and while I thought I wanted to do this with Sam he would never be able to make me feel this turned on. We could barely hug anymore before Sam pulled away, unnerved by how cold I felt as if...as if I were dead. But I'm not dead, I'm alive with flesh and blood and the same desires as any human being. Just because I was half-ghost doesn't mean that's changed...

I'm sure Vlad understood how I felt. If he lusted me this badly too maybe Vlad was having a hard time containing himself as well since he didn't want to scare me off. And maybe it was just this sudden arousal talking but I wanted him too. I mean I wasn't imagining Sam make love to me like this and he's the one I thought I've always been in love with, well, besides my crush on Paul but he was out of my league. Either way, I haven't been with anyone yet because who could I even do it with without my powers reacting weird as we made love? It'd be a dead giveaway and with Sam, even though he knew my secret, if something like that happened it might scare HIM off. And no it wasn't like I was settling for Vlad just because he says he loves me, I just wanted someone to outright tell me that they loved me.

I wanted them to love me for my soul, my personality, not just my body and looks. I wanted them to treat me as gently and as preciously as Vlad did like I was worth loving. That thought brought tears to my eyes that blended with the streaks of water trailing down my face from the shower and it made me stop and pull my hand away, rinsing it briefly before I slid down the wall and covered my face, crying.

Everything was so messed up right now and I was even more messed up for even thinking that anything about being with Vlad was alright. He was older then me, he tried hurting my dad, and even if Vlad did love me that didn't make those things right. Even if Vlad took care of me and made me feel like I was loved it was all a lie. My whole life was a lie so why shouldn't my love be just as twisted..?

Nothing was right about us. I'm not a miracle, I'm a mistake. He was a mistake too that my parents made and they didn't bother fixing it. Frankly, Vlad had every right to despise them for not helping him when he needed it or help me and take responsibility for their actions. But I was afraid of Vlad making an even bigger mistake if he thought this could work out between us. There was so much stacked against us and this infatuation of his was only going to lead to more heartache for the two of us. Even if Vlad meant any of it or actually wanted to help me I already had too much to worry about to even consider rejecting my parents and leaving my life in Amity Park behind.

So honestly, whether I was metaphorically his captured princess or not, no matter what we decided to do next...I was still trapped between two worlds. A world with the only person like me, and a world where my family and friends needed me that I was doing my damnedest to keep from falling apart like I was.


	13. Commitment

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** Oh my goodness, I was not expecting such a demanding reviewer telling me to continue so bluntly! lolz! But I guess you guys want to see some good come of this whole thing for poor Dani. Also, holy crap that last chapter got a lot of views fast! Anyways I'm writing this because I want to and not because of the high demand, just fyi. I haven't been able to work on another story of mine for ages that I really want to finish on my other account so this was just another way to stay in the Danny Phantom flow plus again this was a random idea I couldn't get out of my head so I wound up writing this story. Which reminds me, to the reviewer _"Nolifesoiread" _I love chunky reviews so it's all good, I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Also, again I know Danny's parents aren't nearly this bad in the show but I'm really pushing the neglect card here as far as how they treated Danielle to give Vlad a valid excuse to spoil her absolutely rotten because why have all that money with no one to share it with who actually could use some basic things the rest of us take for granted? Anyways, hope you enjoy the next chapter too!

* * *

**Chapter 13:** Commitment

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Danielle's POV

If things weren't looking so dismal at the moment, I would have been more easily impressed that Vlad managed to not-so-subtly add some extra clothes in the closet for me that took me a minute to figure out weren't there before. Don't get me wrong, I kept pretty good track of the clothes I originally packed for this trip, but I had a feeling that either Vlad himself or my brother left them behind for me since mom and dad would have never been that attentive. Also, the way Vlad managed to figure out my clothing size so perfectly and quickly did kinda creep me out, not gonna lie. Other than that I had nothing to complain about because Vlad had a good eye for fashion surprisingly so they looked pretty normal all things considered...

The _'extra'_ clothes I found were really high quality too and insanely comfortable even for casual clothes. Because duh, there was no way I was NOT trying them on. And since Vlad was at least trying not to freak me out anymore I thought it couldn't hurt to show him I appreciated being given some unexpected new clothes to wear. Sadly my favorite jeans and my white and red t-shirt were both starting to look pretty decrepit and faded at this point, but since I didn't have an actual allowance to spend on clothes or much of anything really it's not like I could buy more clothes very often without working my ass off.

Sam offered to treat Trish and me to a shopping trip after a particularly bad day once but I refused his offer because I felt bad accepting his money even after we found out his family was loaded. Besides, I was paranoid that my parents might think I stole those clothes or something stupid like that since I'd never be able to afford anything that nice normally even if I DID manage to make a bit of cash doing a few side jobs. And contrary to popular belief my lack of paid work was not for lack of trying. For one thing, the most obvious job I thought of was impossible for me since I couldn't babysit. Aside from Jason, most people refused to have ANYTHING to do with the Fenton family given our reputation as _'ghost hunters'_ and how being anywhere near one of my parents usually resulted in something blowing up or breaking into thousands of unrecognizable pieces. And going back to the babysitting idea, I also realized that I didn't want to put some innocent kid in danger because of ghosts attacking me or dealing with them would stop me from keeping a close enough eye on them like any good babysitter.

It didn't really matter that I was sixteen now either and could get a '_real' _job because I couldn't get one even just a part-time job. Besides, Jason was the only one who had his own car and if I had to resort to flying to my job I had a feeling that would quickly start to become highly suspicious and people would start to wonder how I got there so fast on foot. And once again, ghost attacks would have prevented me from doing my job let alone keeping it. Basically, right now, my _'job'_ was fighting ghosts...

But sadly, no one paid me to do that.

Still, the point is that after I managed to calm down and finished taking a shower when I started looking for something clean to wear I was pleasantly surprised to find a few simple outfits tucked away in there just for me. What's more even my clothes from back home were all washed too. Meaning I could have just as easily worn them too. I blushed a bit when I realized that this meant ALL of my clothes had been washed, including my undergarments, but thankfully I didn't find any um...lace-y stuff added to my wardrobe as well if you catch my drift.

God do I think all men are perverts or just Vlad out of paranoia? I mean I knew some guys had a habit of doing creepy stuff but maybe that was my naivete talking since most of the guys I knew at school in Amity Park aside from Sam were dumb-as-a-brick wolf-whistling jockey's. Honestly, I'm just glad that Vlad didn't go all classic medieval on me and only get me a bunch of overly frilly girly stuff to wear, like dresses and skirts because honestly, part of the reason I had such a hard time getting a boyfriend was because I'm such a tomboy. Well, that plus my ghost powers gave me an extra boost in strength that intimidated most guys when I used it by accident.

Anyways, I ended up choosing the most comfortable outfit consisting of some casual skinny jeans, a black tank-top, and a long dark-blue sleeveless denim vest. I just put on my usual red shoes though since there weren't any new ones hidden in the closet. Looking at myself in the mirror, I turned my head around over my shoulder and thought, _Vlad must have either studied up on his teen fashion or else he's really good at figuring out what I like to wear. Jason wouldn't have been asked to tell him what my taste in clothes was, just food._

Speaking of, I frowned when my stomach grumbled loudly at the very thought of food and I had to remind myself that with everything going on I basically haven't eaten much of anything the past few days. I was either too stressed out or angry or snoring away in slumberland. I could only imagine what Vlad arranged for us to eat but if it was anything like that cheesy potato soup he brought then that was something to look forward to at least.

It also helped that I've gotten over my fear of him drugging me again though so I wasn't stressing out about that anymore. Now I was more worried that the table setup would be too fancy or my manners would make him reconsider his choice in women. It's not like I'm a total slob, but when I'm really hungry my manners would often go out the window and I'd scarf it down, which I wanted to avoid at all costs around Vlad...

Seriously though I was NOT ready to talk about my parents yet, I could barely wrap my head around the current situation between Vlad and me let alone worry about what trouble they've gotten into while I was gone with ghosts popping out of the ghost portal left and right as usual. Man, I'd given anything to find out how to shut the damn thing off again for good. Anyways, I dragged my feet a bit once I noticed that Vlad wasn't waiting directly outside my room and I figured he was already in the dining room like before where I blew up at my parents over breakfast so I made my way there.

Vlad was, unsurprisingly, waiting for me at the door though.

I tried to smile at him but it felt more like a slight twitch in the corners of my lip since I was so anxious so I gave up and briskly thanked him for the new clothes. But even just saying that much made him smile softly at me in return and Vlad told me it was no trouble at all. He said I looked good too but I didn't have the energy to muster even the slightest hint of a blush...

That seemed to worry Vlad somewhat if his faltering expression was anything to judge by. But after my meltdown in the shower, I wasn't feeling very energetic anymore so I hoped that he wouldn't make a big deal out of it, at least not yet. Either way, I was dreading the conversation we were about to have, one way or another.

* * *

Vlad's POV

I expected Danielle to feel apprehensive after mentioning her parents but thankfully I already took care of things in advance to hopefully put her mind at ease. Now it was only a matter of gauging her reactions to the news and considering where our options could lead us. Because frankly, just because Danielle was being given the option to return home that did not mean I had no intention of staying in touch and helping her either directly or from the shadows. I wanted Danielle to know I would be a pillar of support in her life now, not an enemy unless I had to be for her own good.

Don't get me wrong, I still had other plans in the making to gain more power in the Ghost Zone but I wanted to avoid involving Danielle in any of them since she was still lacking in skill and understanding with her powers and devoted her time to using them for the sake of others. I would, however, like to teach Danielle that there were ways to use them for personal gain without harming others if that was the only reason she refrained from it.

And thanks to the information I've gathered on how Danielle has used her powers thus far, judging from what I've been able to deduce, she has at the very least overshadowed her father before, possibly others as well. Which meant if we could just master duplication next then she could overshadow someone while her true self was in plain sight and that would help encourage other such bullies to leave her alone. This would help Danielle greatly by redirecting some of the scorn from the bullies at her school away from her. After all, I knew all too well that cheerleaders and jockeys could get frightfully nasty and vicious when they set their sights on tormenting someone...

And if anyone attempted to _'cyber bully'_ I believe the term is, I had teams of experts that could make the offending party's life a living hell instead or delete or corrupt all of their data from multiple devices. Needless to say, Danielle didn't know it yet, but I could be a very powerful ally for more reasons than one thanks to my connections in the real world and in the Ghost Zone. And all of it would be at her disposal should she finally learn to accept and love me. Though even if that didn't happen right away I always took great care to protect my investments; and Danielle's heart was one such investment that I would destroy anyone who so much as looked at her wrong in my presence to keep safe.

Either way, whatever Danielle's decision was once I explained her options, I would continue watching over her from now on. Danielle would know that she was always safe here with me from now on and that I would crush anyone who tried to take her from me or hurt her. Of course, I had no intention of interfering with Danielle's ghost fighting if she chose to continue doing so unless it was necessary because I wasn't so overprotective that I wished to smother her or keep her trapped in a gilded cage. Danielle was by no means that fragile. She was much stronger and had immeasurable potential than she realized as a human and a ghost and I had every confidence that Danielle would someday blossom into a far more ravishing and self-assured woman with the proper nurturing and guidance in the future...

All I had to do, was show her she still had one.

* * *

Much like breakfast the other day, Danielle sat down right beside me at the dining table and I offered to pull her chair out for her while also giving her the option to take care of it herself, which she did. It was a simple exercise but it proved that once again Danielle preferred to do most things herself whenever possible to prove she was capable enough and only seemed to appreciate certain types of attentiveness on my part. This data would prove invaluable to me later on since I was still learning about Danielle's preferences regarding how she wanted to be treated.

But while I understood why Danielle seemed so demoralized, I wished there was some way to cheer her up even if it was just by offering an excellent meal to make up for the lack of food the past several days. She still looked a bit too pale for my liking and her normally shining blue eyes seemed a bit dull and foggy, but Danielle was clearly trying not to allow the dark shadows in her heart from crushing her which was a good sign...

That's why I hoped she would feel better once I gave her the good news that things have calmed down somewhat at home, thanks to yours truly I might add. Apparently, Jack and Maddie DID feel indebted to me and valued my advice so it was much easier to sort things out than I expected it to be since part of it was a misunderstanding anyway according to Jason. They also WERE worried about Danielle and only realized after getting home how selfish it was to leave her behind like that even with a trusted friend. And they didn't want to make matters worse by fighting once Danielle's health improved because that would likely increase her stress levels again and make her even sicker.

It figures though that those two didn't notice Danielle's distress UNTIL it got this bad which made it impossible to ignore. Knowing them though, once things settled down they'd slip right back into their old habits which is why I would be the one to look after Danielle from now on. Hopefully, I could do that without resorting to ghostly spies as much if I had her brother as my young ally keeping a close eye on things at home for me.

I wanted to keep the mood light before getting into anything so once Danielle was settled in I asked, "Alright Danielle, what would you like to have for lunch? Though at this rate I suppose we could call it more of an early dinner. We can have dessert too if you feel up for it."

Glancing over at me Danielle asked, "Wait a minute, I thought Jason already told you what foods I like so I thought you would have just picked something out for us. You mean I get to choose?"

"Of course my dear," I smiled, not bothering to hide my amusement. "You are my guest after all and I can easily have anything you so desire made fresh right here in the castle. The only reason I prepared standard foods is because most of the people who were here for the reunion are normal everyday people and therefore don't have the same refined tastes I do nowadays. I'll admit though that every so often I do like to order a burger at a local fast food joint in town or enjoy the less stuffy atmosphere of a family owned restaurant. Some things are just impossible to replicate even with a world-class chef on staff."

Unable to contain her curiosity Danielle suddenly asked me, "Are they human?"

I blinked, "Pardon?"

"This chef person, are they human or...is it a ghost?" Danielle clarified, clearly embarrassed of even asking and she sank further into her chair, her eyes downcast.

Getting over my momentary stupor, I smiled and ruffled her hair to lighten the mood again and explained, "If you must know, yes, most of my personal kitchen staff are ghosts but whenever I'm expecting guests I hire my human chefs to take care of any meal plans. In fact, in regards to the ghosts I have on staff, many of them are old acquaintances of the Dairy King and often still ask him for advice when using any dairy products in their cooking. They're good at their job and don't mind working for me so I let them stay in the castle and they stay disguised as humans to work with any other cooks I hire for large gatherings. As you can imagine though I very rarely host invents here in my castle for obvious reasons. I like my privacy and don't want to deal with the headache of covering up anything someone might discover by accident."

"No way!" Danielle asked, sitting up again, "You mean the Dairy King is real? I thought telling my dad that this place was haunted was just some ploy to get my dad to agree to stay here instead of sleeping in the RV again or getting a hotel."

Happy that this seemed to spark some interest I decided to regale her with the story of how I came across this particular ghost, "Oh yes, I quickly discovered how real he was as soon as I began renovations on this castle when I first bought it. The castle was in terrible condition and vacant for about fifty years or so since the previous owners complained about smelling rotten eggs and feared there might be a gas leak and gave up on the project. They wanted to try turning it into a theme park or a museum as I recall. I, on the other hand, wasn't so easily dissuaded so I investigated the matter further since this was the optimal location to do as I pleased far away from prying eyes since there's nothing but fields for miles. And also no roads leading here except for the one in town which is where your family and most of the guests for the reunion passed through. Still, as it turns out the smell wasn't from a gas leak at all, it was a storage room filled to the brim...with cheese."

I shuttered at the memory of how intense the smell was when near it directly but she seemed interested so I decided to finish the story. After all it was probably better than coming across him by accident and thinking he was dangerous like every other ghost Danielle has faced thus far, myself included, but we had a mutual agreement that the Dairy King could stay here as long as he stayed out of sight and didn't interfere with me or anything I was working on. And again, the only exception to this rule I had in place was that I allowed him to openly mingle with my ghostly kitchen staff since he used to be in charge of most of them that I wound up hiring in the Ghost Zone who only accepted the job BECAUSE I lived here and they felt an attachment to this castle and seemed to enjoy working with him again.

I was brought back to reality when Danielle asked in a troubled tone, "So what happened next? Did he try to suffocate you with Limburger? Strangle you with Swiss or-"

"Good heavens no!" I corrected hastily, cutting her off. "You will soon find that not EVERY ghost is hostile towards humans, my dear. Some are actually rather useful and beneficial to society, in secret of course. If anything, once he saw me change from human to ghost when I sensed his presence and thought he was a threat at first, the worst thing the Dairy King did was talk my ear off about how many different cheese blends were stored in there. And while it might surprise you to hear this, nearly all of it was still edible so I kept some of what I could salvage and sold the rest with his blessing and insight on what was still good. After that, I agreed to let the Dairy King stay here as long as he wanted so long as he didn't get in my way. Because even I didn't see the harm in allowing him to remain here, what's more...as you have probably summarized already, his presence was the perfect bait for your father whether the Dairy King actually WAS here in the castle or not since I have other ghost minions who could have just as easily lured him away."

Danielle sighed in disappointment after hearing the bit about her father since it reminded her of what happened the other night, not to mention the conversation we still needed to have concerning her parents. So to distract herself from all of that Danielle changed the subject when her stomach growled and she asked, "While we're on the subject of food, do you have like a menu or something if they really can make anything I want or do I have to just pick something?"

Relieved by the change of subject as well I explained, "I'm afraid I only have menus made for dinner parties otherwise I have them make whatever strikes me as appealing. So you may order whatever you want as I said before."

Folding her arms, Danielle took a few minutes to think of something and while she still seemed unsure of how much or little she could ask for, eventually she asked if my chefs could make chicken cordon bleu with rice and steamed broccoli. She looked so adorably flustered even asking that I couldn't help but smile. That is until it occurred to me once again that Danielle wasn't used to being spoiled like this so what she just asked for was likely a favorite of hers she ordered whenever they ever managed to eat out anywhere which I'm guessing wasn't often given how small their town was. That, and her father's huge appetite and rude manners likely got them banned them from most respectable places. It was such a shame she's missed out on even the simple pleasures of a good meal so it warmed my heart that Danielle was no longer afraid of eating anything I had prepared for her and was a bit more open to letting me dote on her even a little.

Little did she know there was more to come. Much more. I just didn't want to overwhelm Danielle or make her feel as though I was trying to buy her affection through gifts and bribery. To me, they were small gestures of kindness that only Danielle was worthy of since I would never go to the trouble for anyone else. I would have for her mother but that's in the past because again my motives with Maddie were purely selfish and admittedly a bit sexual. However, with Danielle, it was clear to me that she NEEDED someone in her life who loved her and wanted to bless her with even the most simple of joys because her parents and clearly deprived her of even that. And if this was something else I could fix in her life...then I would do everything in my power to do so so she never felt this ashamed of asking for something so simple ever again.


	14. Proposition

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note:** Ah, to the last two reviewers no, I wasn't talking about you guys! I was making a playful jab at _"Pompouspep" _for their all-capped three-word review because it made me laugh. I wasn't calling anyone pushy. In fact, I'm happy you're excited to see more. Honestly I was pretty shocked that chapter 12 got over 200 views, in ONE day! I was like...say whaaaat now? So yeah, I'm having a lot of fun and should pace myself more but meh. Also, before I forget, to _"GiselleVera" _the answer is yes, certain characters are genderbent and Sam is one of them. I'm pretty much only switching a few character genders around to suit my needs or when it makes more sense to the story, but the rest are the same as in the show unless I say otherwise. For example, Skulker is still a guy but I made Paulina into _"Paul"_ so it made sense for Dani to have a crush on him, same goes with Sam. In short, in most cases the human teenagers will most likely be genderbent but not all of the ghosts unless it makes more sense to change them like it did when I mentioned Dora, that dragon ghost princess, is a prince in this story whose power comes from an armlet, not a necklace.

* * *

**Chapter 14:** Proposition

* * *

Danielle's POV

Vlad wasn't kidding when he said his chefs, ghost or not, were world-class because when our food arrived and was brought in by a pair of ghosts disguised as humans to keep me from snapping into battle-mode on reflex, it looked almost too pretty to eat. It's one of those meals you almost have to take a picture of because even if you ordered it again it would never look the same. Too bad one of the things my parents DID still have was my phone which they had taken as punishment when we came on this trip to stop me from talking to my friends and ensuring we spent _'quality time'_ together. Yeah right, we all saw how that turned out because after introducing me to at least one old friend besides Vlad they ditched me to go off dancing.

Anyways, the food smelled absolutely mouthwatering so I glanced over at Vlad, not sure what to do at first but he nodded and told me to help myself so I wasted no time getting started. I started with the broccoli first while the cordon bleu was cooling down a bit and was happy to find that there was a bit of flavor to them thanks to this light garlic butter sauce or whatever it was. I tried some of the rice next and it was just as light and creamy and perfectly cooked. Once I could finally cut and bite into some of the meat from the cordon bleu it was perfect, the meat was so tender it melted in my mouth and I have no idea what cheese they used but it complimented it just as flawlessly. Kinda made me wonder if this Dairy King guy had anything to do with tonight's meal and the thought made me laugh a little.

Still, I said this before but whenever I was hungry I usually scarfed down my food but this time I ate almost painfully slow since I wanted to savor every bite. That and I was buying time before we dove into the whole _'mommy and daddy issue'_ thing. Glancing over at Vlad again he seemed totally unphased by how slow I was eating and even the way he cut his own food had a mesmerizing elegance in each movement. I had to stop myself from staring at him but he caught my eye at the last minute and I froze.

"Relax my dear, there's no need to stand for ceremony on my account. Enjoy your meal and if you want seconds I can have more made for you if that's what you're concerned about," he smiled mirthfully but I just winced since Vlad had me pegged.

"No it's fine, I don't want to cause any trouble by asking for more," I sighed, content to leave it at that but Vlad put down his knife and fork to rest his hand on my forearm, his dark blue eyes keeping mine prisoner.

Smiling impishly, Vlad told me, "Oh please Danielle, I live for trouble. Or have you already forgotten? At any rate, this IS their job after all and frankly the entire kitchen staff was excited to hear that I have a guest who is also half-ghost like me so they took great care to make sure this meal was to your liking my dear given that they didn't have to conform to human limitations as far as preparations go. If anything it would please them to hear you liked it so much you'd like more. There is no higher praise to a cook than knowing that their recipients think it is the most delicious thing they've eaten. Remember my dear, ghosts don't eat because they have to to sustain themselves like we do. It is purely for pleasure and even then most things don't taste quite the same to them anymore so they have to rely on their memory of taste to make sure everything is cooked and flavored properly. Therefore these particular cooks rely on skill more than their senses to know everything is just right."

"I...didn't know that," I confessed, my shoulders dropping.

Taking pity on me Vlad finally let go of my arm and resumed cutting his food as he continued, "That's to be expected since I've been acquainted with ghosts much longer than you and used to research the paranormal before...you know. At any rate, there are many things I can teach you but now is not the time or place. Let's finish our meal and then there are a few things we need to discuss. There's no rush however so please, take your time my dear and let me know if you want more."

I nodded but couldn't bring myself to speak and covered up my silence by taking a drink of the lemonade I asked for to go along with dinner. I regretted not wearing something with sleeves now because my skin felt feverish where Vlad touched me, it almost felt like his hand was still there which sent a thrill up my spine. Damn it I had bigger things to worry about without everything Vlad did turning me on right now! What the hell was wrong with me!? I should be wondering what Vlad wanted to talk about and what my parents said to him, not whether or not his skin was feeling as electrified as mine was when he touched me even briefly.

* * *

In the end, I was too nervous to ask for seconds but I did let Vlad convince me to ask for dessert. I decided to go for the simplest thing I could think of that was still good so I went for chocolate mousse because...good god I needed something chocolate-related right now to calm my nerves.

As expected, when that arrived too it looked just as fancy as dinner was. It was served in this tiny fancy wine-glass looking thing with different layers. It started off whatever that crushed cookie mixture was at the bottom, then moved onto the mousse itself, and finally, it was all topped off with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and a little bit of this amazing fudge sauce. Since it was so small though I did ask for seconds and I wasn't disappointed. That tasted SO good and wasn't lukewarm, it was chilled which made it taste even better. After that, I felt much better after eating something and enjoying some chocolate so I could only hope that after this whatever Vlad had to say wouldn't ruin my good mood.

Knowing my luck though, it wasn't likely to stay good but I wanted to try.

Just like at any restaurant Vlad told me to leave my dishes there and asked me to follow him to his study which as it turns out was the same room I followed him into when I first saw Vlad in ghost form. That immediately set off red flags in my mind but I did what I could to push those feelings aside. He wasn't trying to lure me into a trap this time, I wasn't in danger, Vlad only wanted to talk. That's all.

Now that I actually had the chance to look around since Vlad wasn't beating me half-to-death by mistake this was a really nice study and looked more like a small personal library. There were bookshelves lining both walls, two floors of them in fact, and on the ground level there were two long wooden tables carved like something right out of medieval times, a chandelier overhead, and at the very end of the room there was a fireplace with two lounge chairs which is where Vlad led me to sit down. I would have preferred a normal couch to sit on but oh well, at least the silk padding was comfortable to sit on...

Once I settled in, Vlad sat down in the chair opposite from mine and crossed his legs, looking as regal and calm as ever as his gaze drifted over to me. I, on the other hand, was starting to look as nervous as I felt so I tore my eyes away from his, stared into the fire as I thanked him for dinner first then added, "Do you mind if we get the bad news out of the way first? What did my parents say? Are they alright...?"

Sympathetic to how tense I was getting, bracing for the bad news, Vlad turned his eyes to the fire as well and explained, "On the contrary, what I have is good news. I spoke with them and they wanted to apologize for not noticing how strained you were sooner and realized that fighting wasn't going to help. They blamed each other for not paying enough attention and then there was some nonsense about a divorce but before you panic, as it turns out they were celebrating your aunt's divorce which I find rather odd but to each their own. At any rate, they've calmed down considerably once that was over with and asked me to tell you they love you and to take the time you need to get better."

"Oh..." I replied, not really comforted much by those words.

I knew they loved me, deep down, but it was rare for them to own up to messing anything up and that included with me so if Vlad didn't scold them I had a feeling they wouldn't have felt bad about all this until much MUCH later. Also, maybe it was just the way Vlad put it but that made it sound like they didn't care how long I was away from home. They didn't miss me and probably only apologized to clear their conscience so they could forget about me all over again.

I'm surprised they fought about what happened with me at all but I had a feeling their fight was never about me, it was about something else and they used that as ammo against the other in a fit of anger. My guess is dad forgot their anniversary again since it came up pretty fast after they got home from this trip and I can't remember a SINGLE year of my life when dad remembered it on time and didn't have to resort to wooing mom with some shiny new ghost gadget or tool.

Troubled by my silence, Vlad asked, "Danielle? Is everything alright?"

Looking up at him, at his worried expression, it was just like before where I felt I could be honest with him so I decided to just get it all out and pray it would lift this heavy weight off my chest. "You want to know the truth, Vlad? No, nothing is alright because if you hadn't said anything to mom and dad, it would have taken them longer to even give a shit about how any of this has affected me. I'm just so tired of being forgotten all the time. Makes me wonder if they'd even notice I was gone if I ever did run away from home..." leaning back in the armchair, I rested an arm over my eyes and continued listlessly, "I seriously considered it a few times. Did you know that? The first time was when I turned ten and they forgot my birthday, and the second was- it was when I got my ghost powers. My friends talked me out of it since they were there when it happened but even though I didn't tell them this, I was so scared. To hell with the fact that I was still alive, now, instead of being someone easily forgettable that my parents could ignore to their heart's content, I became something they absolutely despise and hunted. It would be one thing if I was the one who decided to run off, but the idea of being kicked out because of something I became because of their ghost portal terrified me. So I stayed. Because where else would I even go while trying to figure out all these changes?"

"That's terrible," Vlad replied, sounding disgusted by the very thought of my parents doing such a cruel thing to me. "That does bring up what I wished to discuss with you, my dear..."

I didn't move when I heard the chair creak as soon as he stood and approached me, but when I lowered my arm from my eyes and started to open them, I was shocked when I felt his arms wrap around me as Vlad pulled me close to him. I wasn't sure what brought this on but my heart was racing and my arms hung limp at my sides because it didn't feel right to hug him back. I didn't want to give Vlad the wrong impression since I was still unsure about him and my feelings. And yet the way he cradled my head and pulled me flush against his chest, or at least as close as possible since I was still sitting down, it as both calming and maddening at the same time.

I was almost dizzy from the effort I was making not to react to his touch but then Vlad started talking and every word seemed laced with desire and I was enraptured by it. I didn't notice til just then how nice Vlad smelled either until I was almost being smothered by his musk. The meaning of his words was almost lost on me when Vlad explained, "Danielle, it is no secret that I want you to stay here with me but if you feel more comfortable at home I will arrange everything. But most importantly I want you to know that you are not alone anymore. I'm here for you if you need me for anything, anything at all. I'll give you some time to think about it since either path we take will be a long and involved one, however, making you happy will be worth it in the end because I truly do love you, my dear."

I thought my heart couldn't race any faster, but it did as he continued to explain, "I thought it was mere infatuation at first like with your mother but no, what we have is much more than that. In fact, I'm starting to believe that we are what they call _'twin souls.' _And this is quite literally a form of kindred spirit, meaning that essentially we are two halves of a whole at least as far as our ghost halves are concerned. You see, whatever ectoplasmic power altered my DNA the day of the accident that made me like this, when that same energy was used again to make you that way as well it bound us together and more or less synced our ghost signatures together on the same wavelength. That is why I believe we are so drawn to one another. I believe that we're soulmates, my dear, pure and simple. However, even knowing this I would never dream of asking you to throw your entire life away to be with me since you're still young and have your own life to live so I would like to offer you a choice."

"A...choice?" I choked out, relieved when Vlad finally pulled away from me, resting a hand on each shoulder, and nodded.

"Yes. Because one thing remains true throughout all this. You need my help and I am more than willing to offer it in more ways than one. I made this offer to you once before, but attached to it I gave you an unreasonable condition. So allow me to rephrase it," taking a deep breath as if to reign himself in as well, Vlad made his offer. "Danielle, if you decide to stay with me even for only a week or so while you sort out your feelings, I would be more than happy to train you a little and help you better understand your ghost powers. If however, you would feel more comfortable training at home I'll provide the means to contact me at any time so you may consult me or request assistance should you ever face an enemy too powerful to defeat alone. And frankly, if the need is great enough then I would happily consider buying a house right there in Amity to be closer to you that you may visit at any time my dear, with or without reason. For my door will always be open to you should you need or want anything my dear. Anything at all. A shoulder to cry on, someone to treat your wounds, a safe haven, I will provide all of those things for you and this time I won't ask you to throw your family away. I simply wish to know if...you can find it in your heart to accept me despite what I nearly did to your father. I won't ask for forgiveness, just understanding since like you, he hurt me in a way that has left scars that I have kept hidden until now. But from now on, I'll be the one person you never have to hide your true self from, since you and I...are the same."


	15. Doubt

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

* * *

**Chapter 15:** Doubt

* * *

Vlad's POV

I had a feeling my offer would overwhelm Danielle no matter how delicately or simply I portrayed it, but the uncertainty in her eyes was unmistakable before she turned away from me again to process all this. Understandably, she had her reservations about me, even now. But I was hoping though that whatever this bond between us was whether my theory concerning our ghost signatures proved correct or not, my offer would tempt her to stay since I revised it to make it more appealing and wanted Danielle to treat it more like...a trial run. And this would hopefully remove any lingering feelings of entrapment on my part by giving her a clear choice.

As for what I told Danielle concerning how we both felt in each other's presence, make no mistake, I DID, in fact, run a few simulations on my supercomputer up in the lab to test my theory, but truth be told I would need to examine her ghost energy more closely and compare it to mine to be certain. I did not wish to invade her privacy when Danielle was ill, even though I was the cause of it. Because despite being a scientist, unlike her parents I at least had SOME tact and Danielle wasn't some ghost I could capture and take samples of by force using the catch and release method, she was a young lady who deserved my respect even though we both wanted some answers.

I meant every word I said to her though, granted some aspects of this arrangement I left unsaid so as not to give Danielle the wrong impression. For one thing, I AM a billionaire so even purchasing a new house in Amity Park was of little to no consequence to me. After all, I have summer homes all over the world where I stay for business trips since it's more convenient and reduces the chances of being seen using my powers. And while I said I would help her if Danielle continued to fight ghosts and came across a more powerful adversary that by no means meant I wished to join her while playing _'hero.'_ No, I meant that I would protect HER and crush the opposition, nothing more.

Regardless, as for the rest, I did want Danielle to know that I was offering her comfort and protection, something she desperately needs, not to mention someone to come to with her troubles at home and with her powers. I doubt even she understood what all this meant just yet. It meant that I wanted to become a constant in her life. Someone to turn to when she needed them, someone to rely on, and most of all someone to love her.

I didn't mind starting off with platonic love although it was difficult to reign in my lust for her and clearly the feeling was mutual. I could take my time seducing Danielle and winning her trust, I just needed to be patient because whenever I forced her hand she rebelled against me so I knew better now. It was laughably easy to charm her since she was so young and yet, my feelings for her were gradually growing into something deeper because it was painfully clear to me now that Danielle was just as much a victim of Jack and Maddie's thoughtlessness as I was. In fact, more so given how she was their flesh and blood and yet they treated her like something as disposable as our friendship back then...

Normally I care very little for the troubles of others, but with Danielle, it was different because my heart ached every time she wept and every time she told me yet another way her parents have neglected and controlled her life so far. Even I was surprised by how quickly I became devoted to Danielle when I've been pining for her mother for over twenty years. I suppose, again, there was some truth to my theory and what's more Danielle's circumstances mirrored mine almost alarmingly so which made me feel like I already knew her very well. And the way she felt so at ease around me despite the mistakes I've made with her meant that this bond was just as overpowering to her as it was to me. Luckily for Danielle, I had more control over my emotions and...urges. But she was still a teenager and starved for affection so I doubt this is easy for her to handle, and yet Danielle continues to treat everything with caution so she doesn't make a mistake that could cost her everything.

Well, even if she did lose everything, Danielle would always have me. I was in this for the long run now and my path was set. As for hers...well it was still too soon to say and as I said, some details were still malleable and prone to change. But if there ever came a time when it appeared that I might lose her forever, Danielle would eventually thank me for the gilded cage I would trap her in to shelter her from this cruel world if it ever became too much for her heart to withstand.

* * *

Danielle was completely speechless after I made my offer. It gave her a lot to think about and consider so I politely excused myself to give her some time to herself in the study. Quite frankly I had no idea what to make of her reaction. Was she relieved that I gave her more than one option? Was she afraid it was too good to be true? Or that this was all perhaps part of some nefarious plan of mine? There was no way to tell thanks to how unresponsive she was.

I was concerned of course but knew better than to press for an answer since Danielle didn't respond well to being put on the spot. I suppose it was also a tad too forward of me to hug her like since Danielle still had mixed feelings about me. Fair enough, it didn't matter so long as she was warming up to me.

So with that, I left Danielle to her thoughts and busied myself with more preparations for either of her choices. Should Danielle stay here she would need more clothes and unmentionables and would probably like to get into contact with her friends. I was shocked to learn that they knew about her powers but given that they were there the day that Danielle's DNA was fused with ectoplasmic energy, it makes sense. I'm just relieved that they seem to have accepted Danielle's new state of being because most others would flee or label their friend a freak. I'm sure Jack and Maddie would have attacked me on sight mainly because my form was much more...unearthly than Danielle's.

Oh yes, Danielle's form was much more ethereal and perfect. The way Danielle's snow-white hair almost seemed to float around her, translucent and glowed from within, the way her skin stayed flawless and fair just like it was in human form, and the way that her glowing green eyes were like deep pools of emerald light all left me entranced now. In human form, she was just as beautiful because it was almost like she was the other side of the moon. Her hair was a deep rich shade of midnight black while Danielle's eyes were like a blue-moon bathing the world with their cool mystifying light. Honestly, I doubt even Danielle knows how radiant she is. Because clearly those male classmates of hers back home were either completely blind or couldn't get past the _'she's a Fenton'_ part to see the wonderful person she is...

Someone that I am very much looking forward to getting to know.

* * *

Danielle's POV

Of all the things Vlad could have said, I was NOT expecting any of that! This was all happening way too fast! Don't get me wrong, hearing Vlad say he wanted to help me with my powers and in general was such a relief since there was so much I could learn from him, but the idea of staying here for a whole week after what happened before that got us here still left plenty of room for doubt...

What exactly was Vlad playing at? Did he really expect me to say yes to that after sharing one moment of weakness when I asked him to stay while I was upset? Also, since I felt so uncertain of what drew me to him, especially if it WAS related to our powers, I didn't want to risk tempting fate. Besides, I doubt I could hold out for much longer given how every time he touched me now I wanted to abandon my senses and lose myself in his warmth. It was scary how strong these feelings were and even if he felt the same Vlad clearly had much more control than I did. And I didn't want to risk doing something I might regret later.

Honestly, if I had met Vlad any other way, if he hadn't attacked me even unknowingly while purposefully targeting my dad then tricking me and convincing my parents to leave me here with him I might have said yes to his offer. But since that's not what happened...I couldn't do it. I needed to go home so I could clear my head and figure out what to do about all this. If Vlad's offer was real though and not just lip-service then I wouldn't have to go it alone anymore fighting ghosts and figuring out what else I can do with my powers. I didn't expect him to co-op with me obviously, but still, just knowing I had backup and possibly a safer place to go deal with any injuries I might get during a fight would help me a lot.

Either way, the more I thought about his offer, the more I realized that I couldn't accept it. I wanted to give him a chance to show me he was serious but Vlad still screwed up a lot of things for me and I was still angry at him for it. I already listed all the other reasons I was pissed at him despite Vlad apologizing to me and treating me better after that, it just couldn't change the fact that all of those things still happened. He stole my freedom from me when Vlad drugged me and played my family like a fiddle so they would take his side and leave me behind. I could get over Vlad attacking me the first time even though part of me was still a little intimidated of his power in ghost form, but he didn't give me a choice or the chance to really change my mind about him because he was so afraid of losing this opportunity that Vlad rigged everything to get us here.

I won't lie though, even now I wanted to accept his offer to stay for at least this one week to take a longer break from my parents and ghost fighting, but it was too late. My mind was made up. I wasn't as stupid and naive as I seemed to everyone else so I weighed the pros and cons before deciding that if I was ever going to prove that Vlad was serious about this, about me, then he'd have to find a way to erase my doubts about him. I couldn't rely on this intense feeling of longing between us to tell me if I really loved him or not or if this was just some freaky ghost thing like he said that bound the two of us together. I wanted to be given the choice to fall in love with him, not give into these feelings if it was purely physical. I had enough fake things in my life, enough liars that surrounded me, so whatever this was...I wanted it to be real.

And if it wasn't, I didn't want it at all.

* * *

After making my decision I knew I couldn't wait until morning to tell Vlad because I might chicken out or blurt out that I wanted to stay even if I didn't mean it since it was becoming almost painful now how much I ached for his touch. I really couldn't take much more of this so I needed to remove myself from the situation before things escalated. The only problem is, I didn't know where Vlad's room was so I decided to change into ghost form and look for him.

This place was so huge though and I quickly discovered that there were some walls I couldn't phase through so Vlad probably had a reason for that, but whether it was a _'good'_ reason or there was something sketchy going on in there I couldn't say. Honestly, it took me so long to even get my bearings that I almost gave up and decided to call it a night after all but then I heard Vlad's voice nearby. Curious about who he was talking to, if anyone, I turned invisible and followed the voice which led me to what looked like his private office. And when I poked my head inside I saw that Vlad was on the phone with someone while those three vulture ghosts were floating above his head. That would explain why my ghost sense went off and I had to breathe the cold air back in through my nose to stop myself from gasping and releasing a visible puff of cold air past my lips.

I didn't catch what Vlad said over the phone before he hung up, but I shivered for a whole other reason when this creepy smile spread across his face as he looked up at his cronies and said, "Alright, everything is in place now so now all you three have to worry about is keeping an eye on Jack and Maddie. I don't want them messing this up for me, whatever Danielle decides. Think you can handle it this time?"

With that same thick accent I remember from before when those three landed on a bus before asking me for directions when they were ordered to attack my dad, I heard the leader of the three vultures scoff, "Vhat, first you vant us to peck ze guy to death and now you vant us to just spy on zem? Vhy not just lock ze ghost girl up and dazzle her vith gifts if you vant her so badly?"

Irritated that they were talking back to him, Vlad's eyes flashed red threateningly which made them shrink back from the man and then in this eerily calm tone he explained, "Because you fool, I don't want to scare her off again. I've made too many mistakes with Danielle already and any more may result in her rejecting me entirely. And I don't want that. She has no idea how much I want her and even with all my skills, patience, and intelligence, as of late even I find it difficult to think clearly when I'm near her and the urge to hold her close is disconcerting since it is challenging even for me to resist. Should Danielle decide to stay I will have to make sure I don't push my luck with her and make my next move too soon to win her heart. In either case, though I need to make sure nothing happens to her family or she might blame me for any harm that comes to them, especially Jack. At any rate, I don't pay you to question me, Boris. Do I make myself clear?"

Sighing heavily, the ghost vulture with the largest beak whose name was Boris apparently nodded and replied, "Very vell, you're the boss here boss. Come on boyz, ve're off!"

After that, they phased through the roof, leaving Vlad and me alone again.

I didn't know if Vlad could sense me or not but I decided to retreat anyway since I wasn't sure what to make of any of that. Sure it confirmed that Vlad was just as turned on as I was when we touched but, what about the rest? Did he really love me or was this some sort of game to him and I was some prize to be won like my mom was? I just didn't know anymore. Whatever the case may be I knew one thing, I was doing us both a favor by putting some distance between us and whether or not Vlad was still a manipulative asshole, it was clear to me that being near him was still dangerous for more reasons than one...


	16. Changes

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Alright, so I just want to get this out there now, after this is where the story drastically changes compared to the show and becomes a true AU. In fact, it already has changed since this Danny/Danielle never encountered Walker after ending up in the Ghost Zone to retrieve the present for Maddie from Jack that got knocked into that mysterious realm. And since Vlad doesn't want to be her enemy he's going to hold off on a lot of his _'schemes'_ that would have involved her in the show if things were still more or less the same between them. I'll briefly gloss over what the changes are but I just wanted to explain this beforehand to avoid most of the confusion concerning the time skip included in this chapter. This story was originally only meant to be only a partial AU with a few genderbent characters so I could have this female Danielle fall for Vlad, but now I realize that removing Vlad as an enemy drastically changes a lot more than I thought. Kinda makes me wonder what will happen from here for our romantic ghostly duo, wouldn't you agree...?

**P.S.** Crap, guys I am so sorry. I wrote this after a LONG day and didn't notice all the typos until after I posted the chapter. So to those who read the screwed up version, I'm so so sorry for abusing your eyes with such an unrefined chapter. I'm gonna fix this right NOW.

* * *

**Chapter 16:** Changes

* * *

Danielle's POV

In the end, I decided not to bring up what I saw last night or confront Vlad about sending his goons to spy on my parents, possibly me too, when we sat down for breakfast the next morning. And the only reason I got any sleep is because I hardly slept the night before and was emotionally exhausted. It still helped me steel my resolve despite being nervous about what Vlad's reaction would be to me _'rejecting'_ his generous offer. I didn't make the choice out of fear though, I made it based off facts because I really did need to get out of here to clear my head so I could figure out what this whole weirdly strong attraction thing between us was about.

I refused to let my nerves get the better of me this time either way though, so just like I planned to do last night, I took a deep breath, cleared my throat to get Vlad's attention, then once our eyes locked I gave him my decision. "Hey, Vlad? I thought about what you said last night..." _in more ways than one, _I added silently to myself before continuing, "...but considering what happened that led to staying here longer in the first place, I don't think it's a good idea. I doubt I could handle staying here much longer, especially not another whole week. I mean when you stop to think about it, I'm far behind enough in school as it is and-"

Before I could start rambling and list almost ALL of the reasons I couldn't stay, Vlad mercifully raised a hand to stop me and smiled sympathetically as he replied, "I had a feeling that would be the case. I'm a little disappointed, but not at all surprised. If you're sure about this I'll contact your parents and make arrangements to get you home safely."

I stared at him like Vlad had grown two heads and blurted out, "Wait, that's it? You're not going to try and talk me out of it? And...you're not mad I said no?"

Scoffing at my comment, Vlad explained, "What is there to be angry about, my dear? I gave you the option precisely because I knew it was wrong of me to trick you into staying here for an extended period using underhanded methods in the first place. Besides, I wouldn't have made the offer if I hadn't already predicted both possible outcomes and accepted either one once you made your final decision. Therefore you have nothing to feel sorry for. Because as I've already told you before, I have no intention of forcing your hand again. I've seen the folly in such crude behavior, but as for the rest, my offer still stands. Whether you return home or whether you'd like to come visit me again under more...favorable circumstances Danielle, I will be here for you whenever you need me. And when you feel that I've proven my sincerity to you, I would still very much like to train you and help you gain more control of your gifts then show you how to make the most of your ghost powers whether it is in combat or day to day life. I am fully aware that this was a lot to ask of you given how little we know each other and how poorly I've conducted myself around you so I completely understand that you still have your reservations about me."

"Riiight," I replied, eyeing him suspiciously...

Sighing though, I clasped my hands together and while staring down at them I added, "Look, Vlad...if it makes you feel any better I did seriously consider your offer before deciding anything right off the bat. It's just that I already have too much to deal with right now and things didn't exactly start off smoothly between us either. Especially because a certain someone wanted to off my dad or at least make him look bad in front of mom. That's one strike against you. After that, I think I can sort of forgive you attacking me the first time I showed up in ghost form since you didn't know who or what I really was, but it doesn't change the fact that you're...still dangerous. Honestly my biggest issue with all this is that you tricked me and you never gave me a chance to see you any differently before you went all classic evil-villain on me and hired Skulker to tranquilize me when my guard was down to make yourself look like some kind of hero to my parents eyes so you could get on your good side. And I know you didn't mean to make me sick with that drug stuff, but you did, and then you rigged it so we would end up alone here together before I could even get a word in. That's basically three strikes against you already and no amount of flattery or gifts is going to change that..."

Looking him in the eyes again after that, I told him sincerely, "You're right about one thing though, I can feel that there's something...strange that connects us and I'd like to find out what it is eventually, but for now it's just one more thing for me to worry about on top of everything else. If you're serious about being there for me from here on out, helping me, then I'm willing to give you a second chance. But I can't promise anything else if you screw up again though because I have had more than enough of being surrounded by jerks and liars who only care about what THEY want from me. And that includes you. Please, I...I want whatever this is to be real, Vlad. And more importantly, I want it to be worth the risk."

* * *

Vlad seemed a lot more understanding than I expected about the reasoning behind my choice so I decided that as long as whatever he was doing in the shadows didn't put anyone in harm's way or invaded my privacy too much, I was willing to let most of it slide. What I wasn't expecting, however, was for Vlad to still give me such a glamorous send-off. He even gave me a few options on how I'd end up getting home, such as riding in his private jet, helicopter, or limousine. I didn't even bother asking why my parents or brother didn't offer to come get me themselves since it was a weekend and should have been easy enough for them to do, but the answer was pretty obvious...

Simply put, they couldn't be bothered.

As tempting as being flown back home in style was, I opted for the limo ride because one, it took the longest to get back meaning I could relax and sleep most of the way back, and two it was the least conspicuous of the three in my opinion. I mean, even normal people rent limo's for prom or weddings, right? Not to mention someone would have to pick me up at the airport regardless if I took Vlad's jet or helicopter.

Anyways, Vlad also gave me a _'little'_ spending money too and he told me to use it if I wanted to stop anywhere along the way to get any snacks he didn't already have provided in the limo itself. But my knee-jerk reaction to holding so much money was to refuse accepting it since this money didn't feel earned. That's when Vlad deftly closed my fingers around the wad of cash in my hands, which I didn't want to even dare glance at when he handed it to me, fearing the amount was way more than $50, and he said-

"I know you said you won't accept flattery or being showered with gifts to make up for my misdeeds, so think of this more as of an apology gift for what I put you through. Whether you spend it or not is your choice, but trust me, I have billions of dollars my dear so this sparse amount is hardly even considered pocket-change in my eyes and frankly, I wanted to give your more than this. Still, to be perfectly honest, the other reason I'm giving you this much is because I still don't know what you like and I would have rather gotten you something a bit more personal than a few spare clothes to bring back. As you can no doubt guess, however, the only reason I bought those for you is because you needed something else to wear besides what you brought with you. Either way I insist that you keep it, even if you end up saving it for a rainy day my dear," Vlad said with a note of finality in his voice, but since it wasn't the type of bossy tone that set me off I reluctantly accepted and he smiled warmly at me as a result.

"Alright, whatever you say fruitloop," I shrugged, playing it off as no big deal anymore even though I still felt uneasy having so much cash on me because I doubt it was a roll of one-dollar bills in my pocket. Knowing him there was easily a few hundred in there.

But still, when Vlad made this cute pouty face hearing my nickname for him it made me smile to myself for real. It reminded me of what attracted me to Vlad in the first place before the rest happened and screwed it all up for me. I felt relieved that Vlad was letting me go home though without a fuss so since there was no one else there to see it who could judge me for it, I decide to make a small bold move of my own by pulling his head down a bit by his bowtie and then I softly kissed Vlad's cheek. And I wasn't disappointed when I pulled back when I saw how wide his eyes grew and how red his face turned. Finally, I managed to catch HIM off guard for once and that felt like a small victory for me.

After that, since my things were already packed in the back of the limo, I waved at him as I began to playfully glide a few steps back so I could climb into the car and finally head home and called, "Try not to miss me too much Vladdy. And thanks again for letting me go home, it means a lot to me. Hell, I'll even think about taking one strike off for that! So until next time Vlad, try to be good boy will you?"

Laughing after recovering from the shock of my flirty butterfly kiss, Vlad chuckled, "I'll endeavor to do so if it'll make you happy, little badger. But I make no promises."

I frowned a little after hearing that weird nickname he gave me in exchange and that last comment I nodded solemnly and shrugged again, "Fair enough, but seriously, please don't send anyone else after my dad ok? I mean it. I probably have a mountain of homework back home and I don't need extra ghosts to fight off on top of that."

"Well unless he does something to upset you again, I won't lay a finger on him," Vlad promised, resting his hands behind his back, no doubt to cross his fingers but whatever.

Unless he did pull any more shit that'd be one more strike against him anyway which Vlad clearly didn't want so I hoped it meant he was being serious. Either way, it was game on now to see whether or not Vlad could actually prove himself to me or if he'd turn out to be yet another ghostly enemy I would eventually have to take down a few notches once I became strong enough to actually beat him. Because one way or another, I wasn't going to let what happened a few days ago happen with Vlad ever again.

* * *

_3rd Person POV_

_Needless to say, things did not go as smoothly as hoped once Danielle returned home to Amity Park. Things started off well enough after enjoying the long limo ride back home since she'd been able to sleep through the night while they were still driving back thanks to the fact that the driver was yet another ghost in disguise. And surprisingly Danielle managed to strike up a short conversation with him which was pleasant enough until they drifted into silence for the remainder of the trip. Turns out he used to be a taxi driver in the '50s and Vlad found him admiring the sports car he was driving in town at the time purely for leisure and discovered he was a ghost disguised as a human since Vlad could sense him right away. And upon finding out he was knowledgable about car repairs and a driver on top of that, Vlad offered him a job. Apparently, it was just easier for Vlad to have as many ghost employees as possible for most of his private affairs so he didn't have to keep up appearances around them._

_At any rate, Danielle's parents were relieved that she was doing better at first, but sadly it didn't take long for them to slip back into their old habits. In fact, for a while, things were especially bad for Danielle when her brother became even more nosy than usual when she started lashing out in frustration and directed that anger towards ghosts even more frequently. As it turned out, after telling her friends most of what happened with Vlad Masters, they reprimanded her for being too easily fooled and naive which was NOT what she wanted to hear from them. She kept the romantic bits to herself of course but that didn't help Danielle's ease the teen's troubled mind about that or the strain between her and her friends when a certain ghost named Spectra dragged those feelings back up to the surface. Because even if Spectra couldn't sense the exact details concerning her growing feelings for Vlad, it was enough to make Danielle doubt herself even more than before about having feelings for a man more than twice her age..._

_What's more, her brother Jason, while he didn't reveal it to her it turns out he discovered his sister's secret by accident one day after seeing Danielle transform. And from then on became even more oppressively overprotective which made her not want to talk to him about anything either. Vlad, of course, kept in contact with Jason, and despite them both keeping secrets they did talk about how his sister was doing this did little to ease his own troubled mind concerning how Danielle was faring. Even after her parents returned her phone, Danielle was often so busy or exhausted that her messages to Vlad were vague at best. And sadly his spies were useless since she was so fast and active fighting ghosts that they couldn't watch her and keep an eye on Danielle's parents at the same time so after awhile Vlad decided to take more drastic measures to keep an eye on her by planting spy camera's all over Fenton Works as well as the most common places she spent her time, just in case anything happened._

_A few weeks later Danielle and her friends went on a field trip to a place called Axion Labs and Vlad saw a golden opportunity to find an excuse to purchase a home right there in Amity Park after all so long as he managed to take over the business and exploit its assets directly. This would take time sadly and Danielle had her own share of obstacles to overcome at the time when a certain ghost dog named Cujo started causing her trouble and after being caught in the crossfire, this greatly angered a classmate of hers named Vallen Gray to the point where he began researching ghosts and wanted to get revenge on the ghost girl who messed up a lot of things for them every time they crossed paths afterwards. _

_Vlad didn't want to borrow trouble but he still decided to intervene on Danielle's behalf and that it was in her best interest to keep an eye on this young man. Thankfully though, Vlad managed to easily divert his anger elsewhere by fixing things for his father after he lost his job thanks to that ghost dog and was reduced to a lowly security guard after calling in a few favors and overshadowing the right people as was his custom. This seemed to ease some of Danielle's burden for the time being, but sadly, her troubles were far from over..._

_Not long after, a ghostly singer named Ember managed to entrance Danielle somehow with her strange ghostly music that only seemed to work on teenagers and she used that power to redirect Danielle's feelings of longing away from Vlad onto the nearest attractive male she knew, which happened to be her friend Samson Manson. This boy's full name was frankly rather terrible and clearly the bud of a cruel joke, but even so, when Vlad heard about this fiasco offhand since he'd been too busy to keep as close tabs on Danielle as usual, it made his hair bristle and he was tempted to destroy both the ghost that enchanted her with their hypnotic music, and any feelings this young man might have for HIS beloved Danielle._

_Luckily for him, the boy had enough self-restraint not to make a move on his childhood friend in the heat of the moment even when she kept throwing herself at him and tried to seduce him while under that ghost's spell. Because if Samson had so much as kissed her when he could no longer resist her wiles, Vlad would have found some way to make him disappear from Danielle's life and then he would have erased the stain of that kiss with many of his own to mark Danielle as his. Up until then, Vlad managed to keep things casual with Danielle despite the spying, but hearing that she had fallen head over heels for her best friend, it almost became too much and tempted him to swoop in and claim her before someone else tried to encroach on his territory and bed her before he could._

_Thankfully things did calm down again for a while after this particular incident. And since Vlad didn't notice anything unusual going on for a long time he figured she could handle most of these ghostly enemies on her own so he stopped watching her movements AS closely as before. Although he still had sensors in place that would alert him if Danielle was in distress or her vitals were low, and especially if there was a ghost whose power far surpassed hers and posed a threat was anywhere near her. This is perhaps how the second encounter Danielle had with Technus eluded Vlad's notice since this ghost was sub-par at best, especially given the fact that most of their battle took place inside of a virtual videogame called DOOM or something similar..._

_The next time Vlad was ACTUALLY alerted to the presence of a powerful ghost was when he was surprised to discover that such a legendary and solitary ghost such as the Fright Knight had come after Danielle's unprovoked. That is until he later learned that she foolishly stole his sword in order to avoid detention by winning a contest at making the best haunted-house before the lead cheerleader, Diana Baxter, won first and she thought the sword's power could help her accomplish this. Sadly Danielle had to forfeit when things got out of hand and she couldn't accept the victory knowing she caused all this trouble by angering the ancient Spirit of Halloween. Still, despite being slightly outmatched Vlad was pleased to hear that even the Fright Knight himself proved no match for her in the end which meant Danielle was steadily growing more powerful with each passing week. Still, perhaps this particular ghost could prove useful later so Vlad made a mental note to do more research on him._

_Next up, upon finding himself very busy finishing up preparations to buy out Axion Labs, Vlad missed yet another encounter Danielle had with a ghost biker girl named Jaede Thirteen whose rare skills involved a bad-luck shadow, or more of a shade really, that she used to do her bidding and they tried to get Danielle's brother to wear a few trinkets infused with the energy of her boyfriend Kaiden who sadly got stuck between two worlds when the Fenton portal shut on him and injured the ghost. Had they not targeted her brother, Danielle likely wouldn't have fought them because originally they just wanted to relive their glory days so to speak and mingle with the living again like old times. Thankfully this matter was resolved easily as well though it did leave Danielle's brother a little dazed by the time Vlad called to check in on things later that same day._

_Sadly Vlad's busy schedule also led to him missing a rather unusual encounter had when Danielle rescued and befriended a ghostly werewolf named Wulf who could tear open portals between their world and the Ghost Zone at will and this, sadly, marked her as an enemy to the ghost warden by the name of Walker after she interfered with the arrest to protect her new friend. Once Vlad did hear about this, however, he wasted no time putting Walker in his place and warned him that should he so much as look at Danielle wrong again, he would personally raze his prison to the ground so to speak. He even made a few deals with Walker to convince him to pardon Wulf's crimes, which proved a bit difficult since he had such strict views of the rules in the Ghost Zone when really there were only unspoken ones really and it was a realm of constant change and chaos. But since Wulf might prove to be a useful ally who had already taken a shine to Danielle, since she was growing more open to the idea of there being good ghosts in the world as well as bad ones Vlad felt it would be a good lesson to learn that ghosts could become her allies too and not just enemies._

_A considerable amount of time passed before Danielle's troubles escalated yet again when the most popular guy in school, Paul, reportedly saw Danielle transform into ghost form and asked to her to date him. She agreed if only because it helped her forget her feelings for Vlad for a little while and she lived out an old fantasy of hers by dating the jock, but unfortunately, as it turned out he was possessed by Jaede's boyfriend Kaiden and he threatened to reveal her secret if she blew his cover since he only wanted to make Jaede jealous for checking out human guys behind his back. It all worked out in the end and Danielle even helped Jaede win her man back by pretending to '_defeat him' _and revealing how much Kaiden really cared for her, enough to check on her when she looked injured after the fight. Danielle still captured them and sent them back to the Ghost Zone of course, however, after that...her feelings about Vlad resurfaced all the more powerful than before and left her feeling hollow and alone in the world after seeing two ghosts still so madly in love despite this small bump in the road..._

_Luckily for Danielle, plans were already well underway to bring her and Vlad together again after so long. And before the end, Vlad hoped to finally seduce this fierce young woman since he couldn't control himself anymore, not after learning that several other suitors, knowingly or not, had made advances on her that he was powerless to stop from where he was. But not for long. Everything Vlad had done thus far was leading to this moment. And even if it was rushed, Vlad wanted to remind Danielle that she was loved and that she was not alone._

_Originally he wanted to give her space and room to grow but Vlad still kept true to his word and listened to her worries whenever Danielle did find the time to call or send him an email. It was wonderful just to hear her voice again though so Vlad enjoyed her calls the best, and little by little he noticed the changes in Danielle over time each time they spoke... _

_She was becoming much more confident, more powerful and skilled with her ghost powers as well. Although sadly the stress at home and school had yet to abide so Danielle nearly cracked under the pressure a few times before she gave in and finally asked him for help. As a result, Vlad gave her a few helpful study tips and even gave her detailed guides on how to improve in certain areas in school she was struggling in. As for the rest, although Vlad previously wanted to hire ghosts to fight on her behalf and keep the rest of the lesser ones at bay, since Danielle was so active with her ghost fighting Vlad couldn't risk sending anyone out there without them being captured by mistake or being discovered working as his minions to interfere with her ghost hunting even if it was to help reduce her workload. _

_It all turned out for the best though since Danielle wasn't pushing herself just to survive anymore. Thanks to Vlad's encouragement, she worked very hard to get better and to succeed at doing this for the sake of her loved ones and to impress him. So whenever he praised her, Danielle's voice sounded so overjoyed that it never failed to put a smile on Vlad's otherwise stoic face. Even so, Vlad yearned to see Danielle again for himself, to hold her, because just hearing her voice was no longer enough to stave off his yearning for her. That was the other reason he kept so busy making preparations, it was because Vlad was losing his mind reigning in his desire for Danielle. Her voice alone seemed to entrance him and Vlad lost himself in a fevered haze of lust imagining her whispering sweet nothings to him. _

_That's when Vlad knew...that as much as he wanted to, he couldn't wait any longer._

_Vlad needed to mark her his own, once and for all, so that no one else would stop him from being with the woman he loved. He couldn't handle losing the love of his life, not again. And the very thought of losing Danielle to some ghost if they wound up killing her human half, or some lowly HUMAN boy tainting her with their touch both enraged Vlad so try as he might to control himself, those fears were becoming very difficult to ignore since his beloved was so far out of reach. Vlad had hoped to already take over Axion Labs to have an excuse to move closer to her, but there were obstacles even he hadn't foreseen barring his way and he was growing desperate. _

_Sure, he managed to remove a few things standing in their way, but at present, their worst enemy was the distance between them making both Vlad and Danielle feel steadily more and more hollow and alone without each other. And Vlad still wanted to prove to her that this was meant to be and that she was meant to be with him. No one else was worthy of her and Vlad wouldn't let them take her from him. As stated before, Vlad refused to lose the woman he loved again, to anything..._

_...or anyONE._


	17. Surprise

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **To _"GiselleVera"_ no, Vlad isn't going to kill anyone...this time, but he WAS getting MAD jealous of Samantha/Samson, Paulina/Paul, and probably even Valerie/Vallen which is likely just as scary. Either way, I summed up the episodes as best I could leading to the next encounter Danielle has with Vlad that can be changed not to be part of some scheme. I decided to basically change up the events of _"Maternal Instincts" _so that it could be a normal-ish visit instead of a trick, or at least not entirely depending on what I end up describing to get her to Vlad's Mountain chalet in the Colorado Rockies.

* * *

**Chapter 17:** Surprise

* * *

Danielle's POV

"Oh come on! Why can't I go? This has _'educational'_ written all over it, and Vlad's going to be there so what's the big deal? It's not like I'm skipping school and going to Universal Studios! This is the Kennedy Space Center we're talking about so please, can I go? Pretty pretty please?" I pleaded, showing them the VIP invitation I got in the mail for the fifth time. Hell, I didn't even remember entering any sort of contest recently but knowing me, since I loved ANYTHING space-related maybe I did at one point I just forgot about it. Either way, it showed up at the perfect time since I SERIOUSLY needed a break.

Looking over the invite again, my mom rubbed her chin and mused thoughtfully, "Well, I suppose he HAS helped you pull your grades up quite a bit, but I'm still not sure you've earned the privilege to go on such an exclusive trip during school. If this was happening around Spring Break that would be another story. Jack honey, what do you think?"

"Why're you asking me? I think it's a great idea, Maddie! We couldn't ask for a better chaperon than the V-man himself so I say we let her go spend some time with good old uncle Vlad!" my dad beamed and for once I was happy he still looked up to Vlad so much and was on my side about this.

"See?" I smiled hopefully, hugging my dad with one arm, "Even dad agrees with me!"

"Just because he agrees with you doesn't mean it's a good idea sweetie. I'd feel much better about this if your brother went with you just in case," mom countered and I groaned.

"Moooom...I'm sixteen, I think I can handle a trip to Florida by myself. Besides, Vlad's meeting me at the airport so there's nothing to worry about. I know things started off weird between us when I first met him, but Vlad's done a lot for me since then so I trust him. So why can't you trust me?" I asked, making doe eyes at even though internally I was screaming that Vlad wasn't exactly an_ 'uncle'_ to me but I wasn't lying about trusting him more now since he really HAS helped me out a lot.

Finally giving in, mom agreed as long as I promised to call once I got there and met up with Vlad so I hugged her tightly, thanked them both loudly, then dashed up to my room to get packed. I was so excited! Because not only was I going to the Kennedy Space Center, but I was going to get to see Vlad again and I could show him how much better I've gotten at controlling my powers, even the new ones!

I've been thinking about him a lot lately to be completely honest so even though we've both been super busy I looked forward to starting off fresh and figuring a few things out about our...relationship or lack thereof in certain aspects. I guess after I was tricked into dating Paul for awhile when Jaede's boyfriend possessed him, it became clear that I missed Vlad a lot and while I didn't feel that way all the time, I really wanted to give into my feelings and go all the way, hoping to forget those feelings I had for Vlad every time he touched me or said my name.

Then there was that whole Ember thing when I basically started pining for Sam since I sorta had feelings for him, but it was kinda hard not to since he was my first fake-out make-out partner, twice. The first time was after the accident when my parents caught us in the lab after I got my powers and I just barely managed to pull off the act after turning human again and kissing him, hoping to cover up the fact that we'd been messing with the ghost portal, but sadly I passed out after that and our cover was sort of blown when they figured out part of what happened since the portal was obviously working now and I wound up in the hospital. Good thing they had bigger things to worry about because of that and Sam called himself _'Paul'_ so dad would ban him from seeing me ever again but not _'Sam'_ and dad basically forgot what he looked like anyway so we were good to go after that. Either way, falling under a love spell and then dating my former crush for a bit made me realize something about myself...

The truth is, I didn't feel like I could date someone _'normal'_ anymore because of my powers. Because if things ever did get serious between me and some boy, I'd be taking a huge risk telling them my secret because it could either put us both in danger, my parents might find out, or it'd end my ghost fighting career for good if they went and told everyone. And if I couldn't bring myself to tell them the truth, it'd eat me up inside having to lie to someone I cared about plus because of how busy I was ghost fighting they might accuse me of not taking this seriously or worse, they might accuse me of cheating on them.

With Vlad, I didn't have to worry about those things. No, there were plenty of other things I had to worry about with him, but so far Vlad's been behaving so I had a good feeling about trying to give him a second chance even if it wasn't romantic. For me, just having someone to turn to for help would be more than I could ever hope for. Too bad he was a creature of habit and I was about to discover that some things about Vlad haven't changed much at all...

* * *

I knew this would be a long trip that would take about 2 hours even on a private jet but something started to feel sort of off about it when I glanced out the window and saw trees and mountains instead of seagulls and coastlines. It'd been about an hour and twenty minutes already and another thing that seemed odd was that if this really was a VIP trip I won, wouldn't there be space-related stuff on the jet or at least a documentary playing on those little televisions they had talking about it? There wasn't even a flight attendant to serve snacks or anything. This whole thing felt a little too mainstream without anything related to NASA aboard that something was telling me something was seriously off.

I perked up when I heard the speakers click on and a voice said in a terribly chipper voice, "Hey there, this is your captain speaking! If you look out the window to your left you'll see the cold bleak Colorado Rockies!"

"Oh, no...this isn't good..." I groaned, having a bad feeling I knew where this was going.

"And if you look out your window on the right side you'll see me! Bailing out of the plane before it careens out of control and crashes!" he finished saying so I rushed out of my seat and sure enough, the pilot was waving up at me then the plane started to nose dive so I ran to the controls, instinct taking over as I tried to remember all the stuff I learned from those flight simulators but the controls were jammed!

"ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME!?" I groaned, pulling as hard as I could hoping it'd magically work but as panic set in since I didn't want anyone thinking I crashed along with the plane, I looked around wildly and notice a parachute and strapped it on. After all, I didn't know if this had anything to do with ghosts yet and I didn't want to resort to using my powers unless I had to so after that I bailed out of the plane too.

After floating down a bit I caught up to the pilot who, still talking into his microphone laughed, "At this time I'd like to inform you that you're the unlucky victim of a cruel hoax!" Then, to my surprise, he transformed into a ghost which made his parachute vanish too and he grinned smugly at me, "Thank you for flying with us sucker!"

I was so pissed off that my rotten luck had led to this whole mess I didn't even bother chasing after him when he flew back to the plane to regain control of it and zoomed off. I had bigger things to worry about since for one thing, all of my stuff had been sent ahead of me, which probably meant they either actually sent it to Florida or never sent it all, and to make things worse my carry on was still on the jet which had my cell phone and money in it so now I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way to call home or call Vlad for help. And just to remind me that the world hates me, I also got stuck in a tree when I landed and had to phase out of the parachute to land on the ground.

Now that I was safely on the ground again, I debated on what to do since this was obviously their intention, to strand me out here far from Amity Park so I had two options. I could either fly to the nearest town and borrow some money to call my parents to come get me, or I could call Vlad. And let's face it, there was no way I was calling my parents because they'd blame me for getting tricked instead of feeling relieved that I hadn't been horribly murdered by that ghost or died in a plane crash that I BEGGED them to let me go on.

Vlad wasn't going to be happy to hear this either I suspect but at least he could help me cover up this mess so my parents wouldn't find out what really happened. But I felt so stupid and humiliated for falling for their trick so I took a minute to sit down on a rock and just...curse my luck again. Of COURSE I'd never win something like that, of course it was the evil plan of some ghost, and of course I fell for it hook line and sinker! This, my friends, is why I wasn't allowed to have nice things. I couldn't have my own phone, my own car, my own LIFE, no...it was always ghost-this and ghost-that and ghost, ghost, GHOST!

Enraged by all this, not caring if someone heard me because hello, I was in the middle of nowhere in the mountains ANYWAY, I stood up, glared at the nearest tree and screamed as I transformed and punched it relentlessly. The wood cracked under my assault and because of how thin it was and how strong I was in ghost form, it soon snapped in half and came crashing down. I stepped back, stunned by my own strength a little bit and changed back to my human form, taking a few long deep breathes to calm down just like Jace taught me.

"Alright, think Dani. You've been in worse situations before, so this is nothing!" Feeling a bit better, I looked up at the sky and using my knowledge of astronomy I tried to figure out what direction I was facing based on what time of year it was and the placement of the sun.

It looked like I was facing somewhere south-west and home was somewhere north-east and Florida was south-east. Either way, my parents at least had the good sense to teach us a few survival skills if we were ever lost in the woods but I had the added advantage of ghost powers so I wasn't totally stranded. Lost, yes, but unless I didn't find anything after flying a few miles I wouldn't have to sleep in the dirt somewhere. So first things first I needed to find a water source and follow it til I found a river and-

"Oh..." I muttered because after flying up into the air after transforming one more time to get my bearings, as it turned out I wasn't completely out of luck after all...

Down below I could see what looked like a fancy mountain chalet just a few feet away and...wait, was that a V on top of the building? Oh no, did that mean-but I thought he changed! No, no maybe the V stood for something else! Maybe it belonged to some family whose last name just so happened to start with V. Either way, I flew back down until I was right outside the front doors and changed back when sure enough, Vlad pulled up in a golf cart and I wasn't sure whether to feel shocked or pissed off because he tricked me...again.

"Surprise Danielle!" Vlad beamed like nothing was wrong and that...oh yeah that made me so livid that my eyes glowed bright green as I glared at him then crossed my arms, tapping my finger.

"There never was any contest, was there?" I accused, pissed that Vlad had the NERVE of smiling at a time like this.

A bit taken aback by how angry I was, Vlad explained, "Well there is but I'm afraid that they already chose a winner, however, since you DID enter at one point it was easy to forge an invitation claiming that you were that winner to get you here. I wanted to surprise you but...my dear is something the matter?"

"As a matter of fact, there is! You tricked me, again, to get me here alone with you, and I was REALLY excited to have actually won something for once! Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to convince my parents to even let me go on this trip by myself? And to top it off, the pilot was a ghost and he kicked me off the plane and said I was the victim of a cruel hoax! So what am I supposed to think!?" I shouted, resisting the urge I had to sock Vlad in the face.

When his eyes flash red too and his face twisted into one of rage as he gripped the steering wheel of the golf cart tightly, I recoiled, thinking he was mad at me for calling him out on this whole pretty scheme, but then Vlad snarled, "That IMBECILE! That is not what I told him to do at all! He was SUPPOSED to claim that something was wrong with the jet to force an emergency landing in the field nearby and I was going to surprise you by meeting you there and I was going to explain everything! He was not supposed to bale and force you to jump OFF the plane. Oh, Danielle, I am so sorry..." he stepped out of the driver's seat and approached me but I slapped his hand away, not in the mood for his mind games as I looked up at him tiredly.

"Forget it, even if that part was an accident you STILL tricked me again Vlad. You used something I love against me to set this up and that really hurts. I was really excited about this trip and about spending time getting to know you but now, you've ruined it for me. So just...let me inside so I can use the phone. I'm going home." Shoving past him I started making my way towards the door but he grabbed by arm and halted my progress. I refused to even look at him because I was so upset, but I didn't lash out at him either, I couldn't when his touch had much the same effect as before and felt so comforting despite the bullshit going on right now.

"Danielle please wait. I never meant to hurt you and I didn't know it meant so much to you. Isn't there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Vlad asked, sounding desperate.

Phasing out of his grip, I kept walking and replied venomously, "Yeah there is. You can just leave me the hell alone until I calm down..."


	18. Derelict

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning! Angry sex scenes ahead! Gonna use a bit more terminology this time than before so don't say I didn't warn ya!_ ** And yeah, confession time, I couldn't wait anymore for some serious action between these two so these events seemed perfect for this scene.

* * *

**Chapter 18:** Derelict

_(Chapter inspired by How Do You Love Someone by Ashley Tisdale)_

* * *

Vlad's POV

Thankfully I had the foresight to have Danielle's things sent here to the chalet ahead of her, aside from her carry-on obviously because the plane was SUPPOSED to actually land nearby. But now that this plan had been mucked up there was something else I needed to take care of first while Danielle was more or less not speaking to me. For there was a certain ghost pilot who had A LOT of explaining to do if he didn't want to be obliterated on the spot...

Danielle wasn't the only one who was livid at the moment because I was beyond enraged that this damn half-wit RUINED all of my plans to surprise her. What's more, I had no idea that going to the Kennedy Space Center meant so much to Danielle. We only vaguely talked about her desire to travel the stars, but she always seemed reserved about it so I foolishly assumed it was only a passing phase and not a true passion. Looking back now though Danielle the reason why she probably held back from sharing her interests with others anymore was because they were so thoroughly dismissed by her family and friends that it was a reflex. And sadly I missed the signs that this did not by any means make it any less important to Danielle.

Either way, now I was reduced to damage control because of my second careless mistake with her AND bacause my idiot employee made a mockery of Danielle by forcing her off the jet! So as soon as I approached the ghost responsible, who was lazily floating outside of the jet waiting for me and acting like nothing was wrong, I promptly reminded him of his place and his JOB and made it clear that if he EVER disobeyed me like that again...there would be nothing left of him to reform even from the ectoplasmic residue I would reduce him to. After that, I gathered the last of Danielle's things and told him to stay out of sight if he knew what was good for him and to keep the jet hidden. I didn't want Danielle running off back home just yet. If there was a way to salvage this visit I would exhaust every possible option before giving in and letting her leave.

That is why, first of all, I pulled out my cell phone and contacted her parents. I told them that the trip was a clever ruse some random lowlife came up with to kidnap Danielle since they wanted to hold her ransom. And if I was just any run-of-the-mill billionaire this sort of thing HAS been known to happen once those sort of criminals know there's someone special in your life that they can exploit. Although really I only wove this elaborate lie to prevent Danielle's parents from blaming her for _'falling'_ for this trick in the first place since to be fair, they ALL thought it was legitimate which was the whole point of this endeavor to give us some much needed privacy. I only wanted to be alone with Danielle somewhere that NO ONE could bother us or knew where we were since I for one didn't feel like dealing with my businesses any more than she wanted to deal with ghost fighting at the moment.

Either way I profusely apologized for putting their daughter in danger, but then I also told Maddie how I quickly caught onto their nefarious plan just in time and used a brilliant tactic to redirect the jet to Colorado instead of Florida to catch them off guard. The so-called kidnappers were soon dealt with after landing, but Danielle was deeply unsettled by the whole ordeal and upset about the trip being a ruse so I offered to take her to my mountain chalet instead to make up for it since we were in Colorado anyway. Although sadly, Danielle had yet to decide if she wanted to stay or return home straight away, and this part at least was actually true...

"_I knew there was something off about that invitation, but I couldn't quite place it..." _Maddie muttered irritably, but then she surprised me by adding sadly, _"Danielle must have been devastated once she found out that she hadn't won a trip to the Kennedy Space Center after all. I haven't seen her look so lively and thrilled about something in a very long time Vlad and that's the only reason I agreed to this. She's been so down in the dumps lately I thought this might help her cheer up. So you know what? I understand that what happened was partially your fault, meaning I shouldn't allow this, but Danielle has been working very hard to improve her grades at school so you have our permission to let her stay if she wants to. I'm sure if anyone could help cheer her up, you can since she was looking forward to seeing you too. We already called the high school to get the time off so it'd be a shame to make Danielle come all the way back after going through something like that just to go back to school right away. As long as she's safe that's all I care about. Danielle's my baby girl after all."_

I resisted the urge to ask Maddie when was the last time she told her daughter that and simply counted my blessings that they weren't angry at Danielle or at me once I wove a convincing enough story for them to explain what happened. And thankfully, I was the only one with a phone now since there wasn't a landline in the chalet so even if Danielle angrily tried to call home she wouldn't be able to without MY phone or hers; which reminds me, I'd have to keep her carry-on hidden for now to avoid any further complications should she discover the jet was still close by. And yes, I know that sounds like a terrible thing to do, but I needed Danielle to hear me out first before doing anything hasty.

Even if this didn't go as planned I've been working on arranging this for at least the last month or so now. And I was hoping that now that I had a bit more of an idea of what Danielle's preferences were with entertainment, gifts, and food thanks to the few conversations I've had with Danielle herself and her brother Jason I could make this a more pleasant experience than last time. I thought she would be happy I wanted to surprise her. I had no idea being an astronaut was something Danielle still seriously considered becoming. And if not for her poor grades and ghost powers that would likely make her automatically fail any blood tests, I had no doubt Danielle would succeed at achieving her goal. She was a very intelligent young woman after all when given the proper tools to improve in the areas she needed to to get into the Space Program, and if there were complications due to her powers I would fix them for her sake so she could have her dream. All Danielle had to do was accept me and allow me come into her life more completely. Right now though it was likely just another unobtainable dream in her eyes, so Danielle desperately clung to the illusion that it was still possible under her own power even now since it was all she had left to hope for for herself...

And it broke my heart all the more realizing that.

* * *

With everything else taken care of, now came the hard part which was actually talking to Danielle. I expected to find Danielle in the nearest bedroom since I hadn't told her which one was hers yet but instead I found her curled up on the sofa with a book in her lap, eyes unfocused so it was clear she was no longer reading. It was probably hard to see the words because of her tears anyway that Danielle didn't bother trying to hide or wipe away. She simply let them roll gently down her cheeks, silently accusingly me of hurting her, and they caught in the firelight before trailing down her neck and disappearing. I shouldn't have been fascinated by her posture, but since it's been so long since I've seen Danielle in person I couldn't help but regard her as this beautiful exotic creature.

Dreams and fantasies alone could no longer quell my longing for her. Even so, I tried to do right by her because she was one of the few things in my life I wanted to be real. I wanted Danielle's love above all else and I was growing ever more desperate for her touch. Still, I shook my head, took a deep breath and cordially explained why I was absent for so long.

"You'll be happy to know that I've dealt with your parents so they don't blame you for what happened. They're just glad your safe," I began but Danielle just snapped the book shut and stared blankly down at it, likely deciding whether or not to fling it at my head no doubt.

"By that I assume you lied to them, right? That's all you seem to be good at," she rebuked harshly but I didn't let it phase me.

Sitting down on the sofa beside her, pretending not to care when I noticed she curled her legs in more tightly to avoid touching me in the slightest, I sighed, "Now don't be like that Danielle. I clearly made another huge mistake here so I did what I could to fix it. What more do you want?"

Snapping her head up at me, Danielle growled and to my surprise, she actually DID throw the book at me. But I reflexively turned intangible and it hit the opposite wall with a dull thud and fell in front of the fireplace. After that, she started yelling, "I want the TRUTH, Vlad. Is that so hard?! Before this, I would have been HAPPY with a trip to Colorado instead of Florida. If had just you explained to me WHY you needed so much secrecy, I wouldn't have been so...so..."

Narrowing my gaze, I pointed out, "Well telling you the truth in this regard kind of defeats the purpose of it being a surprise, Danielle. But you're right. At the very least I could have told you there was a change of plans, and more importantly, we could have avoided the miscommunication with the ghost pilot I hired. He mistakenly thought I wanted to isolate you and keep you here with me unwillingly so he sprung the trap he ASSUMED I ordered when I gave him NO such instructions. The plan was to make it look like something malfunctioned to give him an excuse to land close by and THEN I would magically show up and explain what was really going on. When I saw the jet fly overhead and then saw you fly into the yard, I merely thought he gave you directions to my chalet and told you to go there for help or something since communications were to be taken down too while he worked on _'repairs.'_"

She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head again, folding her arms, and glaring pointedly at the floor. "I guess that makes sense, but that still doesn't change the fact that you PLANNED this. What the hell possessed you to _'surprise me' _after you TRICKED me the last time I saw you? Seriously, could you be any more stupid? I thought you had changed but I guess not...asshole."

I knew Danielle was only speaking out of anger and disappointment, but calling me a fool and an asshole was uncalled for even for her so without thinking I closed the distance between us with one arm on the back of the sofa and the other on the arm of it and towered over her. After that she went perfectly still, staring back up at me with a mixture of fear and wait, was that...anticipation? No no that couldn't be right. I must have been imagining it because we were both far too angry to feel anything else right now. And yet small beads of cold sweat started to form on her forehead, making her skin glisten in the firelight, after that I could swear that I could almost hear Danielle's heart beating in tempo with mine as I tried to regain control my anger as well, and that's when something of us snapped instantaneously.

I'm not entirely sure what happened, but it almost was like I felt our ghost cores start to thrum and the feeling reverberated through the closeness of our bodies like a magnetic pull. I couldn't hold back anymore so my lips came crashing onto hers and Danielle yelped in surprise at first but then moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. After that, I pressed my body close to hers and I could feel my skin start to ripple as my heat met her natural coolness and the only thing getting in the way of our closeness was our clothes so as I began tearing mine off starting with the bowtie. Meanwhile, Danielle took that as a signal and began fumbling with trembling fingers to loosen hers as well but it was difficult to do in this position since I had her cornered.

With what little sense I had left, I pulled away, intent on trying to stop before we both made a huge mistake, but then Danielle lifted her shirt over her head to reveal a very basic bra and smooth ivory skin. And just seeing more of her exposed flesh sent me into a frenzy so I tore the buttons of my suit jacket, half tempted to phase it off, but I couldn't wait any longer and pulled Danielle into my arms. My hands ran up her spine and came to a rest on her shoulders but my god...touching her made me feel so refreshed and rejuvenated! And her own hands came to rest over my heart and I could feel Danielle's skin ripple under my fingers.

"V-Vlad...I..." she began, struggling to regain her composure too but I couldn't let this moment slip us by.

I wanted to ravage her, to make Danielle feel my love burn her to the very core like a brand so she would know she was mine. I wanted to make her happy, give her pleasure no mortal woman could ever hope to experience. With this, Danielle could no longer doubt my intentions. I wanted her to be mine and mine alone. That's why I brought Danielle here. I wanted to give her an escape from the cares of day to day life and give us the chance to become closer, unhindered by anyone else or our responsibilities. Here, I wanted us to be no one but Vlad Masters and Danielle Fenton, two perfect beings who were made for each other, not by mistake, but by providence. Together we would be unstoppable and no one would ever take our dreams from us again.

No one.

I silenced her by leaning down and biting her shoulder, not enough to break the skin but enough for Danielle to feel it and go limp in my arms, breathing heavily. And unsure what to do with herself as I drew her closer, arching her back Danielle's hands automatically trailed down my chest and both them and her eyes fell on my erection and she blushed. The only reason I knew this is because I felt her neck heat up ever so slightly so I lifted my head from her shoulder to meet her gaze, and smiled.

"This is what you do to me, my dear. I can't hold back anymore. But I will let you do whatever you want with me...I am yours..." My voice was husky and thick with desire but Danielle seemed unsure of herself and pulled her hands away from my belt buckle.

"Mine?" Danielle repeated, her eyes hazy at first but then, as if deciding she didn't care anymore she claimed my lips again and climbed into my lap, lost in a heated frenzy herself. She didn't even bother undoing my belt, using her ghost strength she ripped the leather and tossed it aside, revealing my erection poking out from my briefs and Danielle's fingers cupped around the heat, moaning as she started rubbing herself and her hand against me.

I held her close as she did this and moaned as well, grinding my hips up into her hand, urging her to go faster. But before I lost myself completely, I created a duplicate to go fetch something for me and barely managed to pull it off before my hips bucked, and I could feel myself soiling my briefs. Danielle didn't seem to mind though and gasped, ignoring her ghost sense as she reached up with her free hand to cup her breast as well as she continued to coax me into hardening.

Catching the hint, I slid my hands back down her back, nails trailing down lovingly then rested my hands on her hips before phasing her pants off to reveal a similarly plain pair of underwear. We were really going to have to do something about that to do Danielle's beauty justice, but for now it didn't matter because both these garments were soon to be removed. She hesitated again upon noticing how exposed she was so I reached around and cupped her perfectly shaped ass and started groping each cheek. Danielle wasn't sure what to make of this sensation at first but then it seemed to make her feel good so she leaned back a bit and spread her legs a bit more.

"Vlad..." she moaned, hips trembling. "Oh..."

Feeling presence of my duplicate returning with the object I needed, I gripped her ass cheek lovingly as I reached over to accept it and paused to tear open the condom. We still couldn't be sure whether Danielle even COULD get pregnant but I was taking no chances and these were the best the world had to offer so as she caught her breath, I looked down so I could free myself and slip it on.

And once it was in place, I reached up to cup Danielle's face, stroking my thumbs across her flushed cheeks. "Are you ready my dear?"

Peering down at my erection, now free from the briefs since I phased those off to put on the condom, Danielle's head bobbed, likely she was too lost in the pleasure to really fathom my words or maybe she wanted this as badly as I did. That seemed to be the case as she reached behind her back to undo her bra, freeing her breasts, and then she swayed before managing to only reach down to remove her underwear before she collapsed against me, trembling as she pressed herself against me and silently begged for help with the rest. I obliged and phased it off for her, leaving us both exposed in all our glory.

Kissing her cheek and pulling her long hair back, I whispered, "It's alright...I'll be gentle since this is your first time."

Danielle nodded in confirmation and pulled herself close, wrapping her legs around me to the point where her heat brushing against my erection which made it start to throb even more. Once she seemed ready, I moved into position and started pushing myself inside of her. She clenched around me and whimpered so I asked if it hurt but Danielle shook her head again and moaned hotly in my ear, "Deeper..."

And with that, I slowly slid deeper, and deeper inside and her moans only made me more aroused so once I was deep enough I started moving on my own at a medium pace. Digging her nails into my shoulders she cried, "You're so big...god...ahh...I feel-! I'm so full of you."

"Yes...just as I have been full with thoughts of you," I replied pushing in deeper until I was finally all the way in. "At last. You're mine, Danielle."

And with that, I lost all sense of reason again and began pumping inside of her. She threw her head back and moaned, meeting each thrust with her own and calling my name. And the sound of her voice was like music to my ears as I pleasured her, my arms supporting her as she arched her back and rode each thrust with fervor and passion.

"Ah! Oh yes! Yes! Faster Vlad! Oh, it feels so good!" Danielle cried and I gave her everything she wished for as her arousal built until finally, she released around me, hips rolling around my shaft as her eyes rolled as well. As luck would have it I came not long after and we rode the afterglow together before collapsing against each other, shivering from the intense pleasure we just experienced...

Because this was one mistake with Danielle I didn't regret since we made it together.


	19. Conundrum

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, self-guilt, blood, and depression ahead and slightly more coarse language than usual. _**

**P.S.** Extra note at the bottom of the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 19:** Conundrum

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Danielle's POV

It wasn't long before I realized I must've fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, I was laying on top of Vlad, curled up against his bare chest stark naked with nothing but a fur throw blanket covering us. He must have carried me to bed after I nodded off and tucked us in. But my mind was still in shock because how did it go from me hating his guts for tricking me again to...having sex with Vlad?!

Oh my god, that really happened then didn't it?

Looking over at Vlad as he breathed softly, the sight of him made it all the more clear to me that this wasn't a dream. Not this time because I won't lie, I've had a few pretty lucid ones since that one time I daydreamed about him touching me in the shower of his castle, but this was real. I don't know what came over me but it was like something primal just took over and I completely lost myself. It was terrifying yet thrilling and it felt so good even though in my head I knew it was wrong which made it impossible to resist. Was that it? Was I tired of the world screwing me over no matter how hard I tried to do the right thing when nothing good came out of it for me personally? Did I use Vlad as an outlet for my frustration? Either way, I wasn't sure how to feel anymore because I didn't just give in, I BEGGED for it like some kind of slut.

Even if Vlad didn't mean to instigate it after I called him an asshole, it was obvious that he was all too happy to take advantage of the situation. I mean, I was intoxicated by the heat of his body and the pleasure afterward sure, but Vlad was clearly prepared for the inevitable outcome if he pushed the right buttons with me. Sure it was probably just a precaution to bring condoms but the fact that he had them at all made me feel like I'd been used to satisfy his lofty fantasies of sleeping with me. And even though Vlad told me I could be the one in charge, since this was my first time I let him have his way with me instead.

After all my protests, I let him win. I felt...claimed by him, marked almost, and shivered at the thought of only being some kind of prize to Vlad. I didn't want to be controlled anymore though! But it was too late! I already gave in and had sex with Vlad and now...and now I was his whether I wanted to be or not. I never had a choice. Vlad rigged everything and only made it seem like I did...

I needed to get out of here, now. Before I totally lost it I needed some fresh air to help me think because his scent made my head spin and made me want to curl up to him again and fall back into a deep slumber. My stomach ached a bit since this was my first time but I've been through worse pain and thought I could manage it so I slowly uncoiled myself from his embrace, hoping he was too worn out to sense me go ghost just so I wouldn't be totally naked, and I all but fled from the room in search of normal clothes.

I used the restroom really quick to tidy myself up but after that, I grabbed the first set of clothes I could find since Vlad had my suitcase sent here and rushed to put them on. After that I b-lined it to the front door and just ran until I felt like I was far enough away and then transformed again and zoomed off in a random direction, hugging myself and trying not to freak myself out more than I already was. I just had sex with Vlad Masters, a forty-year-old man and I LIKED it! Even thinking about it again made me aroused and the memory of his touch was etched into every inch of my skin.

There was no coming back from this. My life was over. I could never be normal. I would always have to lie to whatever boy I eventually ended up with because my virginity had been stolen by someone else. I gave into temptation and had fallen from grace so I would never be able to look into my parent's eyes or my friends ever again knowing I'd let them all down. But I let myself down most of all. I've been working so hard to gain their approval whether it was fighting ghosts or managing my study time better now that I was getting better at it so I had more time to study. And lately though, even that hasn't felt like enough.

I just didn't understand. What did Vlad see in me? I was nothing but a failure! I couldn't even make it through one day alone with him before letting Vlad put his hands all over me! Did Vlad only see me as a sexy young ghost girl he wanted to dote on and lavish with affection since he gave up on my mom? Did he like the thrill of forbidden love to bring some excitement to his lonely life as a billionaire? Was this some sort of twisted game of chess to him and I was the queen he wanted to capture?

When tears started to blind me and made it hard to see, I landed next to this small ravine and curled up against the nearest tree, hugging my stomach and crying my eyes out because I was so confused and didn't know how to feel about this.

Or about Vlad...

* * *

Eventually, I calmed down and realized I had to go back to Vlad's either way so I splashed some water in my face then was about to transform when there was a rustle in the bushes. I knew it was probably just some animal and any non-ghost predator was no match for me so I didn't panic. I was on alert though because after fighting ghosts for this long I knew it was a bad idea to completely let my guard down. I was right to stay alert too when my ghost sense went off and I did transform, ready to fight.

For a second I thought it might be Vlad who probably freaked when he woke up and found me gone but then all of a sudden this freaky ghost monster came barreling towards me and tackled me to the ground. The blow stunned me but I quickly tucked my legs in and kicked as hard as I could so it'd flip over me. This was a mistake though since my hips were still sore from you-know-what and the pain immobilized me long enough for the monster to recover and rush at me again. I just barely managed to scramble to my feet before it swiped at me with its claws and tore three long gashes down my forearm.

Cradling my wounded arm, I glared up at it and finally got my first good look at the ghost monster I was fighting. Though how one ended up all the way out HERE I had no idea! It looked like a huge grizzly bear with four arms and toxic green fur which was a dead give away that this was in fact, a ghost. Not to mention it had these huge solid red eyes that reminded me of Vlad's only these were shining with true malice. My arm was throbbing which made it hard to focus on its movements as it circled me and that's when it roared and I heard more rustling all around me. Glancing from side to side I saw more ghost monstrosities appear, their red eyes locked on me and green drool dripping from their long snouts.

"Oh you've GOT to be kidding me, there are ghosts even all the way out here? REALLY?!" I cursed at no one in particular before looking for an opening and running in that direction since I was outnumbered eight to one.

I was getting better at fighting ghosts but not THAT good, plus I was in no shape to keep fighting like this. Honestly, if not for the giant ghost hawk or eagle or whatever it was tracking me from above, I would have tried to fly out of danger but I didn't want it catching up to me first in the air and knocking me out of the sky. So I just kept running as fast as I could, phasing through trees and jumping over rocks, but it wasn't until I crossed another small ravine that I lost my footing when I tripped over a root and fell. They were gaining on me fast so I reached up for a tree branch, my hand trembling, and then a familiar gloved hand pulled me up to safety and shot an ecto-energy blast at the nearest enemy before it could snap its jaws at my leg.

"Vlad!? How did you-" I began but then he pulled me close and sent another blast at the ghost bird thing with four legs and at first I blinked, thinking I was hallucinating because of the blood-loss when I saw three more Vlad's appear, one of them leading what looked like some kind of...black wolf with four glowing green eyes on a leash like it was some kind of dog and set it loose on the other ghosts.

After that, it was an ectoplasmic blood bath so to speak as claws and teeth clashed and several of them vanished into oblivion under the duplicate and ghost wolf's deadly assault. Meanwhile, the fourth Vlad stood vigil over me, attacking only the stay ghosts who dared come near us, and I had no idea if this was the real Vlad or if it was only a duplicate since they all felt the same to me. Didn't matter anyway since my vision was starting to darken at the edges and if it wasn't for their support, I would have long since fallen off the branch.

Before long, we were met again by total silence again except for Vlad's wolf thing snarling...sniffing out more potential enemies and upon finding none it strode up to the nearest Vlad and laid down obediently at his command, wagging its tail and looking oddly very pleased with itself for destroying so many fellow ghost animals. It was only after that that the Vlad beside me grabbed me by the shoulders and floated down that the one I assume was the original approached me, his expression unreadable.

"Danielle, what the actual hell were you thinking wandering out here by yourself? You could have gotten lost or killed! Do you have ANY idea how worried I was?" Vlad reprimanded, his voice low and dangerous which was frankly much more terrifying than if he straight up started yelling at me.

Before I could say anything in my defense, Vlad looked over at his duplicate as if exchanging a silent telepathic message and then it looked at the gloved hand which pulled me up into the tree, covered in ectoplasmic blood from my injury, and showed it to the real one whose eyes fell on my own gloved hand where a steady stream of the glowing green blood was dripping between my fingers. Honestly, it didn't even hurt anymore which is why I didn't notice I was bleeding so much until my vision started to blacken earlier.

"I needed some air..." was all I managed to get out before my legs gave out from under me and his duplicate barely caught me in time. Shaking my head, I giggled hoarsely, "Woo, dizzy! But you have that effect on me Vladdy..."

After that, the duplicate traded jobs holding me steady and the other whistled for the ghost wolf to follow and then before I knew what was happening, Vlad swished his cape with one elegant movement, obscuring my vision, and then I felt the ground beneath us drop away like that feeling you get in an elevator and when I opened my eyes...we were back at the chalet.

"You have got to teach me how to do that..." I smiled stupidly, resting my head on his chest just as the rings appeared around my waist and I changed back to human form. Then I carelessly reached up to grip my head since everything was spinning and complained, "Ugh stop moving so much, will you? I can hardly stand up anymore."

I squinted when I felt something hot drip down my face and before Vlad could stop me, I looked down and saw the mixture of red and green blood and stiffened. _How did that get there? _I thought, and everything started spinning faster as I looked up at Vlad's face which was distorted too and made his ghost form seem all the more frightening.

I started to pull away from him in a panic but then Vlad gripped my hand in one of his, supporting me with the other resting on the small of my back, and as if we were about to slow dance cheek to cheek he spoke in a soft soothing voice, "Shh...shh it's going to be alright. You're safe now. That's all that matters. So take a deep breath and focus on nothing but my voice, alright?"

I tried to follow his instructions but I was hyperventilating since this was the first time I'd gotten hurt so deeply that it affected my human half too and drew real blood so the sight of it sent me spiraling into a panic. Normally I would have been able to handle it just fine and stay calm but I was so overwhelmed it was just too much. My head hurt, my arm hurt, my whole body ached, and most of all my heart was racing so fast and hard that it hurt too and my chest felt so tight it was hard to breathe...

But Vlad was patient with me and kept whispering words of understanding and encouragement in my ear that were almost hypnotic. I swayed dizzily on my feet as my nerves calmed down and his voice lulled me into a sense of security and safety that was just as impossible to resist as his body heat was. I felt safe here, in his arms, whole in ways I couldn't explain or understand and frankly that knowledge scared me. Because was any of it real? Or were we projecting our desires onto one another and fooling ourselves into thinking there was anything more to this...?

* * *

**Note: **Whelp, if you're reading this you'll notice that I kept in the ghost creatures from the _"Maternal Instincts"_ episode, but this time they're just sad ghosts of other animals that had been hunted and killed so they weren't experiments of Vlad's. At least, not quite all of them. I guess I just wanted to give Vlad an excuse to swoop in and save the day! Anyways hope you liked this action packed chapter!


	20. Wayward

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, slightly bloody/gory scenes ahead while Vlad treats Dani's arm! _**And with that out of the way, yeah, I agree that Vlad needs to rethink how he conducts himself if he ever wants to win Danielle's heart. So saving her from a real threat is a good way to start and kissing her boo-boos better helps too! Naw! Loving Vlad is best Vlad!

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**Chapter 20:** Wayward

_(Chapter inspired by Chemicals React by Aly and Aj)_

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Vlad's POV

When I woke up to find Danielle gone as soon as my ghost sense went off, I pretended I was still asleep since she probably wanted to wash up and had some private matters to sort out in her mind about this. Frankly, so did I. Because even though this is something I wanted to do with her eventually, I never intended to give into my sexual urges so heatedly even if that was what Danielle wanted as well. At least not until we were both certain about our feelings.

Still, this bond between us, this pull, it was far more powerful than I thought and it was beginning to unnerve me a little. I thought I had more control of myself than that but apparently not. And I didn't like the idea of having these strong feelings of lust overpower either of us so completely, not even at the best of times. Regardless, not seeing the harm in giving her a little time to herself I resigned myself to waiting alone in bed to give Danielle the time she needed to collect her thoughts. That's how I idiotically assumed that she wouldn't do something as reckless as wandering off into the woods alone.

As time went on I began to suspect something was wrong so I tidied myself up as best I could and made myself presentable before searching for her. Again I tried not to let my emotions get the better of me, however, once it was clear that Danielle was nowhere to be found inside the chalet I took my search outside and still found nothing. That is when true panic started to set in. And fearing I finally scared Danielle off I teleported all over the immediate area before setting off in the direction my ghost sense led me only to find Danielle was under attack!

I knew there were ghosts in this forest, it was part of why I chose the location for research on what could lead to an animal becoming one, but for them all to converge on Danielle was troubling enough and I had a feeling she'd be hard pressed to win a fight against so many while emotionally distressed. Still, I had to protect her so I showed them no mercy and even brought my _'pet project'_ into the fray prematurely; a ghost wolf I managed to tame through years of careful training and observation once I realized that its ghostly _'obsession'_ was to protect its alpha to the death which is how it died in the first place which made this the perfect guard dog for me once I convinced it that I was the new alpha ghost since it was obviously shunned by living wolves it tried to integrate itself with over the years before I found it.

I made quick work of these rabid ghosts after sending a duplicate ahead of me once I spotted Danielle and ordered it to defend her no matter the cost while I fought the other ghosts along with my remaining duplicates and the ghost wolf. Still, I was furious because if it hadn't been for my quick thinking I never would have found Danielle and I could have lost her forever! I didn't want that! I COULDN'T lose her like I lost her mother even if death is by far a more serious way for this to happen but...at the same time I wanted to collapse in relief finding Danielle unharmed and wanted to smother her with kisses to let her know that I was just happy she was alive.

Sadly, via the duplicate guarding her, I discovered to my horror that Danielle WAS injured and was losing blood fast. There were three deep lacerations on her right arm, the same arm the duplicate lifted her up into the tree with which explained the ectoplasmic blood on its hand, and since Danielle was in shock she clearly couldn't feel any pain so I didn't want to alarm her by pointing it out...

We needed to treat the wound quickly before her ghost healing closed the wound too fast before we could disinfect it so I traded places with my duplicate after scolding her for running off like that and teleported back to the chalet. She was rapidly becoming delirious from the shock and blood-loss so when I looked into her eyes the pupils were palpitating ever so slightly. I wasn't able to catch it in time before Danielle used the same wounded arm to grip her head which covered it in a fresh coat of green and red blood since she had long since reverted to human form.

Sensing the panic building, I drew her close and immobilized Danielle in my strong but gentle embrace and did what I could to keep her calm before this got any worse. It took some time, time we didn't really have, but Danielle needed this if I was ever going to treat the injury properly. At this rate, I might have to re-open the wounds so I could clean them properly and hope no toxins had made their way into the bloodstream already. She was growing faint from exhaustion and losing so much blood so I phased us through the floor where my last duplicate was who had only just finished returning my wolf minion to its ghost-proof cage and silently gave it instructions to gather what I needed to treat the wound and dress it.

The wolf watched us curiously, smelling the blood, but since it saw me save her from those other ghosts I hoped it was smart enough to realize that Danielle was in every sense of the word, my mate. My scent was all over Danielle, and hers was on mine so dogs were smart like that...even ghost ones if the incident I heard about with the literal security dog Cujo was anything to judge by. Once I took over Axion Labs I hoped that beast wouldn't cause another scene now that Danielle more or less satisfied it's last wish which was to be reunited with the toy it treasured before death given to it by one of the trainers who unfortunately made the mistake of treating him more like a loyal pet than a dangerous highly trained security dog which led to his ghost keeping such an attachment to the toy and that place...

Returning to the task at hand, since Danielle was on the verge of fainting anyway I decided to lay her down and relied on a normal sedative this time that I carefully injected into her other arm to make the treatment easier on both of us. Because honestly, seeing such a horrific wound on my beloved made my ghost aura flare and I wanted to destroy each and every one of those ghosts all over again for daring to harm Danielle in my presence, or at all really. After that, as much as I hated to do this I reopened the three gashes in her arm and inwardly shuttered upon noticing they nearly reached a third of the way down to the bone. They started just below the wrist with the first gash across her hand, the second right beside it, but the worse of all was the third one where the claw snagged across Danielle's flesh and tore open a long laceration across the middle of her forearm.

I quickly set to work disinfecting the wound, silently regretting the fact that I didn't have the foresight to store some of her blood type here in the lab since I DID promise that if Danielle was ever hurt I would tend to those wounds personally. I suppose I'd have to rely on Danielle's ghost powers to do most of the work since she was young and obviously not drugged this time to weaken those powers. Our human and ghost halves did co-exist after all which was how even in human form we healed faster than most though it was still nowhere near as accelerated as our healing was if we were injured while in ghost form. I suppose we were slower to mend when afflicted in human form since our bodies had this...survival instinct not to do anything too abnormal even while healing to avoid further injury from a hostile presence, I'm not sure how else to explain it...

Thankfully, it turns out Danielle's injury was inflicted before she changed back after all which meant it would heal more quickly. Overnight if we were lucky despite the blood-loss from that and certain...recent activities since Danielle lost her virginity to me. I could only pray we took care of it in time to avoid Danielle developing a fever like the first time we met.

I deeply regretted putting her through so much pain, both then, and now. But what else could I do? I've never truly been in love because my feelings were Maddie I realize were purely physical and I wanted to throw Jack under the bus like he did with me. With Danielle though, I loved everything about her from her laughter, her smile, her beauty and passion, intelligence, and any flaws she had were strictly due to her upbringing and the folly of youth which made them inconsequential to me. All that mattered to me now was her safety, heart, and happiness...

* * *

As I was tidying up once the wounds were cleaned and dressed in proper bandages, I was hardly surprised that the normal sedatives wore off so fast and Danielle opened her eyes, dazed. She blinked a few times before groaning and trying to sit up by bracing her arms up on the table, but it still hurt so Danielle gave up and laid back down, which was good news anyway since I didn't want her to try and move too fast after losing so much blood.

"Where...am I? What happened...?" Danielle asked weakly, her blue eyes dull and half-laden to the point where they threatened to close again.

"One of those ghostly beasts you stumbled upon during your _'walk'_ injured you rather badly I'm afraid. You lost a lot of blood then went into shock and became delirious so I brought you back to the chalet for treatment down in my lab," I explained briskly, not betraying any emotion in my voice or posture yet since I wanted to measure Danielle's response first.

She didn't respond right away and when I noticed her eyes had closed I thought Danielle was about to fall asleep again, but that's when she lifted her uninjured arm to rest over her closed eyes and sighed heavily, "I don't know which is worse...the fact that I had to fight ghosts all the way out here too, or the fact that I let myself get hurt while I wasn't thinking clearly. But Vlad, I...really just wanted to get some air. I was scared and confused about what I- what WE did and I...goddamn it!" clenching her fists and whimpering when doing so with her right hand irritated the wounds, Danielle scoffed, "I just can't do anything right can I? It's so hard to think straight when I'm around you and I never know what you're thinking. Hell I don't even know what I was thinking when I-"

"Danielle, stop," I warned, unfurling her fist on the examination table. "You're going to hurt yourself again if you do that."

"Sorry," Danielle muttered, relaxing her grip but she still seemed distressed and kept inhaling sharp shallow breaths, clearly trying not to cry in front of me.

Still holding Danielle's bandaged hand gently, I stroked the top with my thumb and told her sincerely, "Don't be, I'm just glad you're safe my dear. When I realized you were no longer in the chalet I was afraid that I'd truly lost you forever and that you had run away from me after I ended up brazenly giving in to my desires and making love to you like that earlier this afternoon. I wanted to do that with you only when you were ready, not before, and certainly not out of resentment mistaken for heated passion. And I certainly don't want you to blame yourself for succumbing to those feelings more than I did. I was the one who should have stopped it. So that, I'm afraid...is yet another mistake on my part. You did nothing wrong, my dear, you had every right to be upset with me and feel uncertain about what this means for both of us. But none of that matters right now. What matters is that at the very least I kept true to my word to protect you in your time of need. I may not care for saving normal everyday folk as you do, but I'll admit, saving you felt oddly satisfying. It felt like I finally managed to do something right when it comes to you..."

Rolling over on her side, although the examination table was likely terribly uncomfortable in any position, Danielle lowered the arm she had over her eyes and folded her hand over mine which was resting on her injured hand and looked up at me tiredly, smiling weakly. "Thank you for saving me...Vlad..." she managed to mutter sleepily, her eyes drooping again as exhaustion threatened to overtake her so Danielle's body could focus on healing.

Smiling in return, with my free hand as well, I leaned over and brushed her hair back so I could kiss Danielle's brow and whispered softly, "You're welcome little badger. Sleep well, my dear..."


	21. Understanding

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **To _"GiselleVera,"_ first off, no worries, Exams are important and I hope you did well on them! Besides I was working on a story for my other profile anyway which is part of why this chapter was delayed. Plus I wasn't sure where to go with the story after that fluff chapter but I have a pretty good idea now. We'll just have to wait and see if I actually use it or not. Next up, I explained this in a previous chapter but I glossed over the events in the show from season 1 which is when this all takes place and changed certain key events, especially when it comes to Vlad's involvement, so basically the episode with Cujo and Valerie/Vallen still happened but the key difference here is that Vlad never gave him ghost hunting equipment which means Danielle was able to get Cujo's toy back no problem and Vlad pulled a few strings to help get Vallen's dad his old job back so he's not as bitter as his normal counterpart Valerie in the show.

* * *

**Chapter 21:** Understanding

* * *

Danielle's POV

I really was grateful that Vlad saved me despite thinking I supposedly ran off. I mean, ok yeah I sort of DID, but I was flying and I planned to come back eventually. After all, my stuff was there and frankly, I didn't want to have to explain how I made it back on my own if I flew all the way to Amity Park using my powers and more importantly explain how Vlad wasn't able to stop me from doing so in time. Basically, it was too much of a hassle to go off crying back to mom and dad even if I wanted to. Again they'd be glad I was ok but then they'd say they told me so or some bullshit like that which would only make me feel worse about the trip being a scam even if I did go along with Vlad's cover-up of it being an attempted kidnapping. To be honest, once I got home they were probably going to say something to that effect anyway which I was NOT looking forward to...

But none of that mattered now like Vlad said. I was safe and while him saving me didn't totally make up for what happened it was a start. I slept through the night but I could almost swear that even while asleep I could feel Vlad's arms around me, holding me close and protectively. That's probably why I slept so soundly. There were no nightmares out of the blue, no sudden starts during the night after hearing a noise and snapping into battle mode, no restlessness because there was so much on my mind, there was nothing but sweet oblivion.

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I slept through the entire night even under normal circumstances so the quiet and the calm was like a dream come true now that I could appreciate it. Because when I woke up the next morning, there were birds chirping which never would have happened within ten miles of my house. I also found a note from Vlad next to the bed that suggested I take a shower and he wanted me to check if my arm had healed properly before meeting him for breakfast along with a few fresh towels. I decided to take him up on the offer since I felt pretty gross after running through the woods plus I never managed to fully clean up after we uh...got busy.

I blushed again at the thought so before I could worry about any of that I grabbed the towels and rushed into the nearest bathroom which again, thankfully was attached to the room I was in. I made it a quick one since I wanted to talk to Vlad as soon as possible which still took a while since I had to free some loose twigs and such from my hair that we missed pulling out in all the excitement after we got back. I was relieved to see that my arm was all healed up too so Vlad did a great job taking care of it. The skin was smooth and unmarred and I flexed my fingers a few times, rolling my wrist just to make sure there wasn't any pain if it was only the surface of my skin that had healed. It was a bit stiff but I also slept at a weird angle so that was to be expected.

Once I was clean, I searched my travel bag for some hair ties and once I found one I pulled my hair up into a loose pony-tail just so it was out of the way but winced when the hair tie snapped and flew across the room. "Damn it, maybe when I get back I should just cut my hair. Might be a good idea anyway since that'll be one last thing a ghost can grab onto during a fight."

Too lazy to grab another hair tie I shrugged and finished changing into the _'beach'_ clothes I packed for the trip to Florida which obviously wasn't going to happen now. It was pretty much just a standard baby blue tank top and cut off shorts, not the super short kind since I couldn't stand those, so these were almost more like capri's that went halfway above the knee. I did put on my normal tennis shoes though since Vlad made sure that all of my clothes were back in one place even after we got so carried away before. I had a feeling we were going to have to talk about that one way or another and I wasn't looking forward to that conversation. Some decent food however, now THAT was something to look forward to if it was even half as good as last time. Kinda made me wonder if Vlad brought at least one of his _'ghost cooks'_ with him when he traveled.

* * *

"Hold up, you mean YOU made all this?" I gaped when I was greeted by the smell of a full course breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and sausage with the option of either drinking milk or orange juice with it.

Looking amused by my reaction, Vlad nodded once we settled down after he examined my arm himself and gave me a clean bill of health then replied, "Contrary to popular belief I did lead a normal life before becoming a billionaire. I'm better at making desserts but this should still suffice. I wanted to reduce the number of uh...underlings underfoot so you could relax during this trip, my dear. I suppose I still could have brought one of my cooks with me but alas, I did not. So I'm afraid we'll have to make do with the things I do know how to cook unless you're willing to take a trip to the nearest town with me to get something else. I happen to know of a pleasant little bakery and-"

"That's not what I meant!" I interrupted, blushing and fiddling with my fork shyly, "It looks and smells amazing Vlad. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, little badger. Now eat up my dear, I'm sure you must be famished after yesterday's mishaps. I called your parents again last night to let them know you hadn't made a decision about staying or not since you were exhausted from the trip and emotionally drained so you spent most of the evening cooped up in your room which is understandable and even partially true. I'm just relieved that you seem to be feeling better. You had me terribly worried," taking a sip of his coffee, Vlad peered up at me before setting the mug down and sighed, then he said, "If you need some more rest or can't finish your meal let me know. There's still plenty of time before we need to discuss anything serious."

I nodded silently, grateful for that since I wasn't quite ready for that yet. But then I thought, I did want some answers now that I wasn't furious anymore. That could wait after breakfast though since I was starving. As I ate though I noticed Vlad was only drinking coffee so I asked, "Hey Vlad did you already eat or are you just having coffee?"

"Yes, I ate something earlier while waiting for you but everything here was made fresh once I heard the shower turn on when I came to check on you again. Don't worry about me. I appreciate the thought though," Vlad smiled, content with leaving it at that but then I spoke up again.

"Vlad...I, I need to know something," I began, setting down my fork. "Did you really mean to just surprise me with a trip to the Rockies? I know I was really pissed off about what happened on the jet with that stupid pilot, but if it really was just an honest mistake I want YOU to tell me. I can't read minds, Vlad. Haven't learned if I can yet!" I smiled impishly, trying to cover up how nervous I was.

Vlad didn't answer right away, he finished his coffee then motioned for me to follow him. And again since the food was on one of those domed platters again I covered it then dashed to catch up to him. We walked past the lounge since it wasn't exactly the best place to talk right now and Vlad led me to the loft he had in another room. It was like a room that was nothing but window seats with large glass windows so you could enjoy the scenery outside while reading in natural sunlight. There were cupboards under the seats lining each side and pillows while the seats were lined with real fur. Guess he really went for the whole _'wilderness and mountains'_ aesthetic when he hired someone to design this place. Still, I tried to resist the urge to squeal girlishly but oh man I loved this room just for the window seats! I've always wanted one of those!

Either way, Vlad motioned for me to sit down beside him, crossed his legs, then looked outside before he finally spoke. "To answer your first question yes, I've been planning this for a long time because I wanted to see you again, wanted to get to know you better without interruption from anyone else. I considered several locations but settled on this one since it's the most humble of my summer abodes. I didn't want to overwhelm you with anything overly extravagant such as a trip to Europe or perhaps the shores of the Caribbean Islands. As an added measure to ensure we'd be left alone, I thought of a clever cover story to keep your actual location hidden once I explained what was going on to you and we came to an agreement so you would follow my lead. Sadly, the ruse I chose to use with a contest you DID in fact enter, blew up in my face and instead of offering you a chance to relax and get away from your troubles, I exposed you to danger knowing there were ghosts in the area and I hurt your feelings just as you said by using something I didn't realize meant so much to you as an excuse to see you. For that, I am truly sorry Danielle. This was supposed to be a pleasant experience. I even had a personalized gift basket made for you but given how my idiot pilot ruined even that part of the plan it didn't seem appropriate to give it to you since you were so angry with me."

Nodding, I hugged my knees after sitting sideways, not really caring about posture anymore and I sighed while looking out the window too and said, "A warning would have been nice in both cases but if it really was an honest mistake I guess I can let it slide. As long as this wasn't part of another stupid plot to keep me all to yourself using dirty tricks and it was just you being a fruitloop as usual, I can forgive you for that. You have done a lot for me and I know we've both been busy and we never really managed to find the time to just...talk. Because something always got in the way. Every time we tried to talk about stuff other than getting help with my homework it was either your work, my parents, my brother, my friends, ghosts, or something like that that stopped us from really talking much. So I get it, you got desperate, but Vlad..." waiting for him to look up at me too, I continued with a deep blush, "I still don't get what you see in me. You keep telling me it's because I'm beautiful and smart but, what do you really know about me? You know my parents hunt ghosts, you know that I'm half-ghost, that I'm sixteen, but what else do you know? You didn't even know I wanted to be an astronaut for real before all THIS happened to me."

To make my point, I transformed into ghost form and explained, "I just, I get scared sometimes that THIS, is the only reason you love me more than my mom now. That it's not me you care about but my powers and the idea of becoming a literal power couple. But after what we did yesterday I don't even know anymore. I've never lost control of myself like that so completely before and...I liked it. Is it just physical though or is this really what it means to be in love...? And why you? I hardly know you either so is there something to what you said before? About being soulmates? Is all this just some ghost thing pulling us together against our will?"

Reaching over to brush my hair back, Vlad's eyes shimmered and he whispered softly, "Does it matter? The point is that I do want to get to know you. I want to know everything about you, Danielle. Everything from your favorite color to your deepest fondest dream so that if it is within my power to grant, I want to. And likewise, I want you to learn more about me as well. True, there may be something more to this bond between us but I've embraced it because its the most real connection I've felt to anyone in years. At any rate, your food is getting cold so we can discuss this more later..." standing up, Vlad offered his hand to me, smiling, and said, "Shall we go, my dear?"

Feeling like there was more to his words then just going back to the dining room, like he was silently asking me to trust him so we could move forward and that he would promise to guide me, I looked between his hand and his expression before nodding and accepting his hand. And just like that, the rest of what happened didn't seem important anymore. Vlad told me the truth, most of it anyway, and I felt much better about the whole thing. Still, we were going to have to talk about the fact that we DID have sex which was something that an explanation alone couldn't fix. I needed to know if it really meant as much to him as it did to me because it wasn't exactly something I meant to share with him first.


	22. Regrets

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Blegh, there's so much going on right now I couldn't sleep so I decided to write instead. Also to _"GiselleVera"_, I love Cujo too, but sadly I want to keep the story focused on Danielle and Vlad so any mention of Cujo was just story stuff related to the show being glossed over. Anyways, now that Vlad and Dani have more or less made up things can calm down until she goes back where I have something interesting planned hopefully that again will drastically change the story. Lastly, sorry this chapter is a little short but like I said, I wrote it because I was restless and needed something to do. It'll get better after this though, I just need to get Dani home for the other drama to unfold. lolz

* * *

**Chapter 22:** Regrets

* * *

Danielle's POV

"Yeah, I told you I'm fine. Vlad stopped them in time I was just disappointed, no one tried to hurt me. And yes if my gut told me something was wrong I never would have gotten on the plane but everything seemed totally normal at first. They fooled all of us," I explained to mom over the phone after finishing breakfast since I just wanted to get this over with once I decided to go ahead and stay with Vlad the rest of the week as planned.

As expected mom reprimanded me for being careless so I tried to play it cool since I didn't want to snap at her then get lip for it later. Vlad pleaded my case too when we put mom on speaker so it was nice that he had my back on this. Either way, once that was settled I was understandably worn out emotionally. To cheer me up, Vlad went ahead and gave me that gift basket after all and since there were lots of snacks in there it gave me something to nibble on while we planned out the rest of the day. We lost a lot of time we could have spent having a good time if I wasn't mad at him or being attacked by ghosts so the two of us decided to make the most of the few days we had left...

By unspoken agreement Vlad and I decided not to talk about the serious stuff until later since we already had our fair share of drama. And I decided to pretend none of it even happened for now, including the sex part, this was just a normal visit hanging out with and getting to know Vlad and vice versa. Well ok I lied, this wasn't a normal visit because Vlad and I had ghost powers and we used them while he taught me how to make my ghost shield unleash a blast if anyone got too close in a quick burst which could prove useful later in a fight. He did this to help make up for things but to me, it was just awesome that Vlad was taking the time to teach me. After that we did do some normal things like go hiking and sightseeing once Vlad changed into some surprisingly normal clothes, kinda made me wonder why he wore a suit in the first place, to be honest, it must have been scalding hot wearing that thing. Then again, Vlad liked the heat and was naturally warm so...yeah.

Either way, once things calmed down I did have a good time and I told him more about why I wanted to be an astronaut. And this time I didn't hold back. I told him how I loved flying and watching the stars and all sorts of little things. In turn, Vlad told me his parents passed when he was 18 but they were normal if strict people when it came to manners, his father especially but Vlad deeply admired the man and his devotion to their family. They left him their life savings which helped him pay for college since he'd been saving his own money since he was 14 to originally buy a car but since he inherited everything they had left he wound up just using theirs and put that money to use paying for tuition.

Then Vlad told me how halfway through his 4yr term, he met my parents and they became fast friends after they asked if he was alright after some other students finished bullying him by knocking down his books. I remember thinking really, even when you have to pay for your own classes you're still immature enough to bully people like that? Makes me wonder if the bullies at my school would ever change and I kinda hoped that IF I managed to get into college it would be one FAR away from anyone I knew.

I noticed Vlad held back a lot of details about his love-life but I convinced him to at least tell me since I really did want to know why he was so obsessed with my mom before he grew new feelings for me. I also wanted to know if mom was any fun back in the day or if she was always such a stick in the mud. You know, a typical teen misconception of their parents...

Anyways, I was surprised to hear that mom was quite the rebel as a teen since she used to go looking for ghosts in old abandoned houses and one time, during a sleepover, she snapped an Ouija board in half with a karate chop when it nearly summoned an actual ghost in the area. I gotta admit, that sounded pretty badass coming from her. And even though she was a model student, she never let anyone tell her that ghosts weren't real or studying the paranormal was a waste of time. She argued that every field of study had its merits, supernatural or not, and unless there was enough evidence to disprove their theories then that meant there was still a chance to actually prove them too which is how she met my dad and they eventually got into the same college Vlad did. And the rest is history.

As for my dad, it sounded like he's always been the same childish goofball his whole life but back then it was on a whole new once he had two partners in crime to study ghosts with. At least, until the accident that made Vlad half ghost. I didn't press Vlad for details about that since it was a sore spot but it was still nice hearing about when he was still friends with my parents before they got all crazy and started hating ghosts...

That's when I had an odd thought and while Vlad and I were walking back to the chalet on foot after going for an actual walk which was thankfully ghost free, I asked, "Hey Vlad, do you ever wonder if maybe...the reason my parents hate ghosts is because how dangerous they are and how that energy explosion from the portal hurt you? Maybe, in a way, they felt guilty about what happened but took it the wrong way and blamed the ghost energy that infected you and not the fact that the prototype portal literally blew up in your face. It's possible, right?"

I collided with Vlad when he stopped suddenly, and without looking at me he explained coldly, "You think I haven't already thought of that? Because I have. For years I searched for any valid excuse to justify their abandonment, but then I realized it all boils down to one thing, Danielle. Make no mistake, they care more for themselves and their research than anyone else. Why else would they go ahead and make a fully functioning portal KNOWING it was dangerous and nearly killed a close friend of theirs? A portal I might add that leads to that same ghostly realm that changed me in the first place that wound up hurting their own daughter in much the same way and ended up turning HER half-ghost without their knowledge? If it was truly guilt, as you say, they would have at least come to visit me in the hospital and gave what little information they had to the doctors to help search for a cure even if there wasn't one. But they didn't, and that speaks volumes of their true feelings on the matter."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..." I sighed, touching his shoulder. "I guess you have a point there, they are kinda obsessed with ghosts. It's not like I was any better. About hating them I mean. But I've met some pretty cool ones or at least ones who don't want to rip me apart so...yeah." After that, we both noticed how low the sun had gotten and since we were still a ways off from the chalet so feeling playful, I glided around to face him, booped Vlad on the nose and laughed, "Hey Vlad, wanna fly the rest of the way back?"

Grinning wolfishly at me in return, Vlad nodded and said that was a great idea. But before I could figure out what his game was, he scooped me into his arms bridal style, transformed, and flew back while carrying me. I blushed but didn't fight it. It felt kinda nice letting Vlad do all the work just carrying me...it was oddly romantic. Besides, I loved the feeling of the cool evening breeze on my skin since I was still wearing normal clothes because I didn't feel the need to transform now. So instead I wrapped my arms around his neck and watched the stars slowly blink into existence as the sun set further below the horizon, while Vlad on the other hand, was watching me instead, smiling.

* * *

All too soon after that, our little vacation came to an end. I had everything packed up and ready to go and this time, Vlad promised to drive me to the airport so I could ride his own private jet and this one would have a human pilot this time. Speaking of, Vlad admitted to telling the ghost pilot off and brought me back my carry on. I should have been made he hid it from me but at this point, it didn't matter anymore. I was just happy to have my phone and my music player back. Still, Vlad and I were both anxious because there was still one more thing to talk about before I left...

We were going to have to talk about the fact that we did indeed have sex together.

I was also nervous about what would happen once I went back this time. Would my parents still ignore me or would they put even more restrictions on me for my own protection seeing as I've been targeted by ghosts and kidnappers since I met Vlad? He might be on thin ice too for letting it happen so they might not be as eager to let me visit him any time soon or even talk over the phone. That worried me a little but I had a feeling Vlad would still keep an eye out for me so if I was ever in any real trouble again, he'd be there for me. And really, once things smoothed over I had to admit...I was gonna miss him.

I was surprised when Vlad approached me instead and sat me down on the sofa, which he insisted had long since been cleaned, and after gently taking my hands he smiled sadly. "Danielle, while I'm sad to see you go again I want you to know I had a wonderful time. I hope you did too once things settled down. However, mistakes were made by both parties so I'd like to promise you something. For your next birthday, I will take you on a REAL trip to the space center of your choice and more importantly, if it upsets you in the slightest I will forget that anything ever happened between us physically. I know that's been troubling you and while I can't reverse the fact that you've lost your virginity but-"

As a spur of the moment thing, I leaned forward and kissed Vlad gently to shut him up and smiled bashfully, "It's fine, Vlad. I'll get over it. It uh...was pretty amazing so you clearly know your stuff but maybe next time we can do it in a real bed? Either way lets just keep this our secret. I won't tell my friends, and you won't go around saying you've won my heart or anything to your spooks, ok?"

"Deal," Vlad smiled, clearly wishing he could kiss me back but we both knew where that might lead. Growing serious though Vlad added, "I'll find a way to be with you soon though. I just need more time. Because whether it's as a mentor or a lover, I want to become a bigger part of your life, Danielle. I can't always protect you but you're a strong capable young woman. If anyone tries to hurt you again, I'll destroy them. Can you accept that? I know your method is to catch them and release ghosts back into the Ghost Zone, but my dear, that is only going to work for so long before they start to assume you just don't have what it takes to take down a real threat. Just promise me you'll be careful either way until I can be there to keep you safe."

"I'll be ok, what happened in the woods was a fluke I swear! You'll see, I'm a lot stronger now then I was when we first met!" I beamed, "Next time, I'll show you some of the new things I learned."

"I look forward to it," Vlad nodded, resting his forehead against mine as he sighed, "As much as it pains me to see you go home so soon, seeing you smile again was well worth the trouble. And I hope you'll continue to smile knowing that I truly do love you very much. Because I for one, don't regret showing you the depths of my love through intercourse. But next time, yes, we'll do it properly. I promise."

Blushing deep red, I nodded and breathed softly, "Ok..."


	23. Spellbound

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Ok, here we go! I hope this idea works because honestly, I wasn't very happy with how the last chapter ended. It felt kinda rushed again but oh well. Now we're getting into another big change plot-wise since Dani never got chained together with Valerie/Vallen since Vlad never gave him ghost fighting gear, and Vlad never blew up his ghost portal trying to get the Skeleton Key _(though he is still looking for it I assume)_ and therefore he didn't try to steal the Fenton's ghost portal and offered a reward for her capture. I'm borrowing some of this idea from a fanfic I read somewhere but I don't want to spoil anything here in this one so you'll just have to wait and see. One thing I should mention though is I'm making a few changes to Freakshow's character in the following chapter. Well ok, a LOT of changes but this is an AU after all! I don't think it's anything too drastic except that he's actually kinda good looking, has hair, and wears less makeup. Aside from that, he's still very much a creep though for the usual reasons and a few others so expect to see a much darker side of him than in the show...especially with how he treats his _'minions.'_

* * *

**Chapter 23:** Spellbound

* * *

3rd Person POV

_Despite what happened between Danielle and Vlad during their previous encounter, Danielle returned home feeling surprisingly at ease and fell back into her normal routine of ghost hunting, spending time with her friends, and keeping her grades up. She did however become increasingly aware that her friends and family both noticed something different about her. Danielle had this...glow about her that they couldn't explain, thankfully not a literal one but whatever Vlad did to cheer her up it seemed to have worked. At least at first._

_As to be expected the peace didn't last long and yet Danielle faced every ghost with renewed confidence in herself, determined to prove to Vlad that she wasn't as helpless as she seemed the last time they fought and when those ghost animals caught her off guard. He had yet to see her in top form so Danielle worked tirelessly to train her mind and body to show Vlad that he didn't have to worry about her all the time. The last thing Danielle wanted was to be underestimated again._

_Nothing outside of the norm really happened during the following weeks aside from facing her usual enemies such as Skulker, Technus, even Ember a few times, but Danielle felt confident she was finally getting the hang of this hero thing and firmly believed she could handle almost anything they threw at her. Sadly, what she didn't expect was someone far more sinister to appear whose purpose here was to shroud her heart in eternal darkness so there would no longer be room for anything else, not even love..._

_There would only be room for their control._

* * *

Danielle's POV

Even though Sam's parents were giving me a dirty look when I stopped by to give Sam the morbid-anti-social music cd he wanted to borrow from me, I didn't let it phase me at all because I was in a great mood today. I managed to finish most of my homework last night and best of all, there weren't as many ghost attacks either so for once I got almost a full eight hours of sleep just like everyone else for once! Jason even left enough hot water for me to enjoy a nice long shower before heading over here to meet up with Sam since I might not have time to give it to him after school since we were heading straight to the circus that rode into town last night, Circus Gothica I think it was called...

Speaking of which, since Sam's parents still had the TV on in their kitchen a commercial for it suddenly popped on and we all turned our heads to watch; his parents more out of morbid curiosity. And I only caught a glimpse of the first red swirl but it was enough to draw my undivided attention to the screen. It showed all sort of freaky people with tattoos and piercings all over and skeletons juggling heads but it looked interesting at least. I wasn't a hardcore goth like Sam was but we both liked the unusual theme of this circus and were looking forward to the show. Honestly, I'd rather see a clown that was TRYING to be creepy as opposed to a normal one that just was on their own for no reason. I bet the music was going to be awesome too like old organ music meets punk rock or something.

We were watching the rest of the commercial when all of a sudden everything else seemed to fade away as this staff with a swirling red orb came into view and all I could hear was Freakshow's voice calling me over to the dark side. "Cross over to the dark side..." I repeated airily, feeling this odd sense of euphoria wash over me as those words filled my thoughts.

It barely registered that Sam's mom turned it off and they were still even talking at all with those words and the red glow still swirling in my mind like a thick fog. I repeated that phrase a second time and Sam rolled his eyes and pulled me by the hand, leading me outside since I wasn't moving of my own accord. He sounded a bit annoyed with me by the time we reached the bottom of the stairs and I finally snapped out of it.

"What? Um..." I blinked, shaking my head to clear the remaining fog in my head. "Sorry Sam, I must have gotten a little spacey. I was up pretty late last night trying to catch up on homework again. I figured it was a good idea before the next group of ghosts attacks me, you know?"

"Just watch what you say around them. They already think I'm on the road to troubled teenhood as it is," Sam sighed, taking a few steps in the opposite direction of school.

"Where are you going? School's this way," I pointed out. "And don't tell me you didn't notice because you were spacey too."

After that Sam explained that he was skipping first period to watch the opening ceremony of Circus Gothica and paid Trish to cover for her, which seemed odd but who was I to judge them? I still didn't like the idea of him skipping, especially since he was at least lucky enough not to have to worry about being late because of ghost attacks like I did so it seemed unfair that he'd skip on purpose, not to mention dangerous if he WAS attacked by one of my enemies while I wasn't around. But, he could take care of himself so eventually, I shrugged and told him he could do whatever he wanted but I was heading to school.

At least, that was the plan anyway.

The instant Sam ran off though my ghost sense went off and who should I see but the same four ghosts I fought last night who tried to rob a jewelry store and I used that trick Vlad taught me with my ghost shield to drive them off. They got away before I could catch them but not this time! Besides, I needed to get to them before the police got themselves hurt trying to take down enemies who didn't play by normal rules and their weapons were their powers, not guns.

After getting a running start I zoomed into the air and gave chase, doing my best not to get the cops caught in the crossfire because I didn't want them thinking I was with the bad ghosts. I managed to knock the money bag the dwarf guy was carrying out of his hands and caught it, glancing over my shoulder at the approaching cop car so I wouldn't hit it, then I tossed it onto the sidewalk and resumed chasing the ghosts across town. I saw them phase through a billboard with Freakshow on it and when I saw that swirl again, I felt a little dazed again but shook it off and kept going. Too bad that gave them all the time they needed to get away.

I was berating myself for letting them get away again when Sam noticed me and called me over just before some cops ran by and I had to change back to avoid them noticing me too. After that, I figured since I was here anyway I might as well enjoy the opening ceremonies with Sam after all so we made our way to the front of the crowd just as Freakshow revealed himself. And dang, Freakshow was a lot creepier than he looked on TV but in an oddly appealing way. His hair was cut short and the color was this rich dark burgundy red slid back and buzzed on the sides, his eyes were the same piercing red as his staff and he wore a long black trench coat with buckles on the arms, red pants, long black boots, and of course black leather gloves. He couldn't be much older than Vlad but Freakshow looked oddly young to be a ringleader to a circus like this. To each their own I suppose.

Regardless, Freakshow knew how to rile up a crowd of rebellious teenagers and we watched as his performers emerged one by one from the darkness of the train before us and everyone gasped in awe and horror depending on who came out. I was watching them too before my attention was drawn to his staff again and I felt my thoughts drift away as its red glow drew me closer. I even took an unconscious step forward when suddenly Sam's parents of all people showed up with protesters and signs that were all anti-goth and sadly, that's when the trouble started up again.

Freakshow, of course, was on our side and urged us to show our true colors and so I did, I loudly proclaimed who we were and some random goth spray painted my shirt black and all eyes fell on us, including his parents, and soon after we were dragged off to school for punishment and a harsh scolding. I barely even noticed our surroundings again until I heard my parents scolding me as they drove me to the school themselves to talk to the principle. Like I honestly had no idea what came over me so I didn't even know why we were there. I even told Sam as much but he was still pissed at me.

Unfortunately, the meeting went about as well as expected since Sam's parents disapproved of mine anyway. But to make matters even worse my dad was really mad at me and while yelling at me he accidentally set off one of his ecto-goop guns which drenched Sam's parents in the gunk so they told us we couldn't see each other anymore. Honestly, today just couldn't get any worse. No, scratch that, this whole week couldn't get any worse because we were given detention too which meant there was no way we were going to get to go to the circus now. And I was starting to think that was a good thing because I was having a hard time focusing lately and I needed to keep my wits about me if I was ever going to catch those four ghosts hanging around.

So the next day, while stuck in detention with Sam and Trish since they caught her cross-dressing as Sam to trick the teacher, the three of us hid behind some books while Mr. Lancer chose THE worst time and place to clip his nails and we gathered around Trish's Tablet to watch the webcast of opening night with the volume down really low. But there it was again, even with the volume down there was just something about Freakshow's voice that seemed...off, like there was an echo to it in my mind and then I felt that strange feeling of elation I had whenever I saw his staff that made me feel like I wanted nothing more than to follow his commands. That's when the red glow compelled me to stand from my seat to go to where he was...

To where my master was waiting for me...

Mr. Lancer tried to stop me but I wouldn't let him interfere with my master's will so I overshadowed him and locked him in the Janitor's closet. His feeble pleas for freedom fell on deaf ears as I turned to Sam as he questioned my motives and wondered if I was looking for trouble, but I only smiled him and laughed, "There's no such thing as too much trouble. Unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica..."

And with that, I left them to their own devices to fly to my master's side, I couldn't keep him waiting. I did not know what he wished of me but I would do whatever it took to please my master, that was my only desire. Yet, I hesitated when I heard another voice breath my name no higher than a whisper. I turned, wondering who it was but then I shrugged it off and kept flying to my destination, Circus Gothica.

* * *

I stood before my master in ghost form, perfectly still as he examined me, twisting my face from side to side and marveling at how oddly human I seemed for a ghost. I could hardly remember being anything else as the rest of my memories faded away as the red glow enveloped my mind. Master smiled at me upon seeing I put up no resistance and turned to his other minions and declared, "I've got it! I've chosen the perfect act for our newest slave! She shall be a harbinger of death, a fallen angel with black tattered wings that can no longer fly and so she will walk the high wire to laugh before the inevitable fall. Doesn't that sound splendid?"

"Yes master," I replied, eager to follow his orders although I swayed dizzily on my feet, my eyes lazily following the movement of his staff since I was already addicted to its glow.

"Did I say you could speak, drone?" my master snapped harshly, making me flinch so I shook my head no and fell silent.

"That's better," he began walking back towards me and brushed the back of his gloved fingers across my cheek as he warned, "I would so hate to ruin such a pretty face by punishing you so see to it that you don't disobey me again. Is that clear drone?"

I nodded mutely again, shivering involuntarily because unlike his voice and the power of his staff which held sway over my heart, his touch sent shivers down my spine and not the good kind. I feared what facing his wrath would mean so I couldn't be so careless again. At the same time, however, the brief contact my master's hand made with my skin just now felt...wrong. But how can that be? Master was my everything, I existed only to serve him. There was nothing else. Nothing. And yet for whatever reason, I couldn't shake off this feeling of dread that there was someone else I should fear who would destroy my master if they knew he had touched me so casually.

Who that person was though, I could no longer remember...


	24. Oblivion

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Alright "GiselleVera" you caught me, yes the fanfic I was talking about is _"Second Chances"_ by _"Dreams2Paper11" _that I read a long time ago if we're thinking of the same one and I'm borrowing a few vague ideas from it. Also to answer your question, yeah Jason does know Danielle's half-ghost since he found out during the Spectra incident just like in the show but he still doesn't know anything about Vlad being one too yet. So yeah that will probably tie into the story sooner or later. And lastly, I wasn't going to do this since I wanted to keep the two fanfic accounts separate and all, but I couldn't help myself, I wanted to make more artwork beside the cover art to share with you so over on my Deviantart account under the name_"SecretSigil"_ that's where you'll find the full cover art picture without the title as well as a drawing I just finished of the AU version of Freakshow I'm using in this story. After that, if you guys do some digging you'll undoubtedly see more about my other fanfiction account but I'll leave that up to you to find.

* * *

**Chapter 24:** Oblivion

* * *

Danielle's POV

My world became a blur between these fleeting moments of self-awareness when I could almost remember who I was and the people who were important to me, like when I saved Sam from falling to his death from the high wire, and the dream-like state where nothing else seemed real or mattered anymore except for my master's commands and the rapture I felt as the red fog filled my mind. But when I didn't obey, the fog turned into flames and burned every inch of my body and I writhed on the floor in pain. I learned this the hard way after disobeying my master by saving...that boy...

What was his name again...?

I knew it a moment ago, but soon it felt like another page in that chapter of my life had been torn out of my mind and several more burned away, those memories reduced to ashes. Leaving only smoldering flickers of light in the darkness where I could see glimpses of faces I once knew, whispers of their voices calling what was once my name, but all of that was quickly concealed by the eerie glow of a now familiar red light. And under its hypnotic power, everything that made me who I was before was left forgotten, leaving me free to serve a higher calling.

Thankfully my moment of weakness was forgotten by my master as well who forgave me and assured me there were other tasks to be done that required my unique talents. I would not fail him again. I embraced the thrill of flying through the darkness and heading straight into danger as I joined the others to gather treasures for our master. No mere human could ever hope to stop us. They were weak and pathetic creatures, cruel, and undeserving. Not like our master, he was the exception. He gave me a purpose, so what more could I want...?

When we returned to his side master was pleased by our treasures and added them to his existing troves in the furthest end of the train. He even took the crown from my head himself and admired it for a moment before turning to me, "Well done my minion. I knew adding your power to my arsenal would yield even greater rewards for me. Come, sit with me while I examine the spoils. The rest of you may go."

Waving his staff lazily to dismiss the others, they all followed his commands except for one, the female ghost with tattoos all over her body that she could bring to life to do her bidding. I could feel the heat of her gaze beneath the hood as she glared at me venomously. I returned her glare and charged an energy blast, giving her a warning, "Master told you to leave with the others. Or do you want me to make you?"

Noticing our stare down, master rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Leave her be. She's not a mindless minion like you and the others, Lydia is my loyal servant from before I inherited this staff from my parents. Now come here my pet, I want to see how these look on you."

Letting the energy in my hands dissipate, I turned and did as I was told. And he made me stand there as he held up many jeweled necklaces to my neck, admiring them despite the fact that he was hardly going to wear any of this himself. I was simply happy I could be of service to him as master dressed me up like a doll, decorating me with bracelets, rings, necklaces, watching them catch the light of my soft ghostly glow with a strange hunger in his eyes as they racked up and down my body. Reaching forward to lift my white hair, letting it glide through his gloved fingers, master laughed-

"It's strange how human you appear. I've never seen a ghost like you but your reputation proceeds you and you're much more dazzling in person. Such a waste, if I were into that sort of thing I might have enjoyed using you as a sexual plaything. But as much as I admire the power you ghosts have, most of you are still revolting creatures that have no right to exist in this world. Honestly, you're even more of a freak than I am...but at least you're a pretty little thing," letting the last strands of white hair slip from his grasp, he drew me closer as if pulled by invisible strings through the power of his staff which master lazily twirled in his other hand and stabbed into a pile of gold and told me to kneel beside him after collapsing onto the pile himself and crossing his legs.

I did so and master pulled my head roughly towards his lap, resting my head there as he pulled off his gloves to stroke my hair with his bare hands. A feral grin spread across his face as he cackled, "Oh the things we're going to accomplish together my pet! With your power soon I'll have more riches than I know what to do with! It was worth coming all the way here to enthrall you so you'd fall into my grasp! Now nothing can stop me!"

For some reason, I flinched hearing these words even though I should be happy. My master was pleased and he was rewarding me. And yet, what he said just now reminded me of someone and I could hear that voice, calling my name in the back of my mind as if trying to bring me back to my senses, screaming not to let anyone touch me because I didn't belong to them. But I did belong to him. I belonged to my master and no one else. And if my master didn't want me for my body, I would give him my soul instead and devote every drop of blood that I split to his name and glory. I would be whatever he wished me to be, his weapon, his slave, his protector, I wouldn't let anyone get between me and my master. In fact, I would destroy anyone who tried...

Too bad I was the one who was about to be destroyed instead, at least in spirit.

* * *

_There is no master anymore, so now what am I supposed to...? _I wondered fearfully, floating above the unconscious boy I just saved for a second time from drowning in the river when I only just barely caught him in time before we crashed into the water and I dropped master's staff into the depths of the raging rapids trying to keep a hold of him. I pulled him out just in the nick of time, but after that, I didn't move. No one ordered me to move from that spot so at first I felt completely lost without someone giving me orders and guidance and I didn't know what to do with myself.

It all happened so fast and my mind was in shambles.

I kept seeing visions of spending time with other people I couldn't remember very clearly yet, and then there was the memory of the fight we had just now, on top of the train. I saw my master hold up his staff while ordering us to finish off those two humans claiming to be my friends, but then it was suddenly knocked out of his hands by some passing railing or something. I remember how I flew up instinctively and caught it but then...when that boy called my name again he begged me to remember that I was more than just a ghost and to fight back to regain control of my thoughts and feelings.

It took me a minute or two to figure out what to do, but then I felt like for a moment I clearly knew his name again as I flew over the edge of the bridge we were riding over to save him after my master pushed him off the roof. Again, for a moment it was like I regained something more important than the red light's power and it no longer held any power over me. At least, not until I suddenly started craving its presence again once I lost it in the chaos. This left me feeling horribly dazed and confused, and now I didn't know who it was that that I even saved anymore, laying sprawled over there on the shoreline.

I didn't even know who was I without my master anymore...

I glanced up just as the train faded out of sight, seeing master's other minions fly away off into the distance for unknown reasons aside from the one named Lydia since she was the only one with a right to a name and I shrunk back, suddenly afraid of feeling the angry fire ignite in my mind again. And yet without even that pain, I was empty inside, hollow, and terribly afraid of the void where my heart used to be.

I couldn't stand feeling so alone as if the darkness I once welcomed rapidly closed in around me, threatening to devour what little remained of my sanity so without thinking, in a blind panic I blindly dove back into the water, relying on my ghostly eyesight to hopefully guide me to where the staff fell. It was still intact somewhere, I could feel it, but without master's hands to give me direct signals so I could find my way to my master's side and bask in its power, this was pointless.

The red fog was still there, protecting me in a haze of forgetfulness as it kept my useless memories from interfering with the task at hand but as petrified as I of the idea of suddenly being left here all alone, I knew I couldn't go back to my master's side without his beloved staff. He'd only punish me again! And I was afraid of the pain since it reminded me of something he mercifully allowed me to forget, something terrible that I didn't want to remember...

As a ghost, I didn't need to breathe, but even so, my chest felt incredibly tight as I dove down deeper, fighting against the current every step of the way so I wouldn't get swept away while searching for it. I knew I should have just given up and left to follow the train tracks back to my master. Because even without the staff, surely he could tell me what I was supposed to do. I couldn't think for myself, I wasn't supposed to. I was nothing but a ghost, his slave, his pet...if I wasn't any of those things then who-?!

I screamed as a rush of memories suddenly broke through the red fog, paralyzing me, but losing focus here while deep underwater was a big mistake because soon after I found myself at the mercy of the river and couldn't tell which direction I was facing anymore as the force threw me around like a rag doll. The river was roaring in my ears but so were the voices calling me Dani or Danielle over and over again, begging me to remember who I was. I covered my ears even as I was being ruthlessly dragged down the river because the pain was too much.

After a while, I instinctively coughed and sputtered after breaking through to the surface, clinging to a rock for dear life, or afterlife in my case. I cried out for help from my master but I doubted anyone could hear me above the roaring rapids anyway. What's more, I doubted master would want me back anyway after this since I failed him again. After that, a sense of hopelessness gripped my heart and I whimpered, my arms losing strength, and then I was violently pulled back into the river again. I briefly felt something cut my leg as I passed but it hardly mattered since I was trapped in a blinding whirlpool of water, images from my past, voices, and an all-consuming pain that made me feel like my head was about to explode...

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the rapids finally slowed to a halt and I began sinking down into the abyss since I didn't have the strength to swim back up. It felt like this was truly going to be the end of me. But then, I saw a soft light glowing just above the surface of the water. I squinted, trying to discern the color of the light but it was too far away. It was probably just the moon but after seeing nothing but red for so long, seeing anything else break through the darkness came as such a relief I didn't even care what color it was, maybe there was no color at all. Maybe that was just me...dying and seeing THE light as the rest of my life slowly began slipping away as a ring of light formed around my waist for reasons I could no longer recall at the moment because I was about to lose consciousness and turn human again. And if I did that here, I really would drown.

I was about to resign myself to my fate when I heard a familiar voice whispering my name with such clarity and love in their voice that my eyes snapped open and out of nowhere I felt myself being pulled back up to the surface by a strong familiar hand. I gasped and coughed up water then fell to my knees on the shore I found myself on, shaking all over. My vision was blurry but when I glanced to the side I caught sight of what looked like a shimmering white cape and I tried to look up to see if it really was Vlad or not, but before I could see much of anything I collapsed onto my side and reverted back to human form, now barely clinging to consciousness as I struggled to keep my eyes open to search for my rescuer again in the surrounding darkness.

Thankfully when the rapids dragged me down the river, it pulled me far enough away from that spooky staff that now the hypnotic effects it had over my mind were finally starting to fade away for real this time. But now that Freakshow no longer had any control of it or over me, I quickly realized that the damage was done. My memories were still fragmented and painful as they cut into me, the edges sharp and painful like glass shards ripping open deep wounds in my heart. And suddenly I wanted to repress them all over again, all of my memories, including recent ones to escape the pain I knew was bound to come as soon as I found my way back home so unconsciously I began to shut them out on purpose...willing myself to turn away from my life in Amity Park right now.

Going back home after this would only mean getting scolded again by my parents, my teachers, my friend's parents and my friends themselves for being so careless. I was getting so tired of being trapped in this endless cycle of constant worry and the fear of punishment just for being who I am, being WHAT I am, and on top of that, no one ever seemed to care how I was doing until it escalated like this. No one cared about my safety or happiness. I was only here to be used and abused by everyone, friend and foe alike it seemed. I didn't want to go back home to all of that anymore. I didn't want to remember being constantly blamed for things beyond my control and told that I wasn't being careful enough when they hardly even knew what a struggle it was to even survive the night sometimes even now.

Even without the mind control, I couldn't think straight anymore, I didn't want to. I wanted someone to take me away from here, away from all the danger and heartache. And I knew now that home wasn't where I could find shelter anymore. I haven't felt safe there for a long time actually, so that left only one place, only one person I could turn to.

"Vlad..." I called tearfully, weakly reaching out to where I thought I last saw the swish of his long white cape. "Please...help me..."

I gasped softly when I felt a pair of strong familiar arms wrap around my shivering shoulders and I choked on a sob. "Vlad...I can't take it anymore. I don't want to feel like this anymore...I don't want...to go back there to face everyone, they'll just get mad at me like always for...letting this happen."

Then in a voice that was all echo-y and not really there, I heard him respond, "_Is that what you really want? To forget everything and leave everything you know behind? Will that truly make you happy...?_"

"Yes. I don't want to do this anymore," I sobbed hysterically, "Nothing...ever changes no matter how many times I do this, fight an enemy and struggle so hard to survive and make it back home only to realize no one notices how much pain I'm in or how alone I feel. It's always the same, I start doing better for a little while, but then it all falls apart even harder and faster than before and it's like I'm right back at square one again. In the end, it doesn't matter if I'm there or not. I'm just a burden to everyone. So please, I want to disappear...I want it all...to just...fade away..." I could feel myself going numb from the cold and overexertion so it wasn't long before I could hardly move anymore and I was reduced to small weak shivers.

That's when I realized Vlad wasn't really here at all. I was talking to myself and imagining him searching for some small comfort before the darkness swallowed me. I couldn't feel his warmth. I couldn't feel...anything. It was better than feeling all that pain anymore I suppose but still, I was really scared. I didn't know where I was or if Sam was really ok, and poor Trish got stuck on the train with Freakshow while I was rescuing Sam so I felt like this time...I truly and utterly failed to protect them. And it was all because subconsciously, the reason I gave into Freakshow's hypnotic staff powers in the first place is because I wanted to forget my worries so much that I let that...that sicko control me and use me to hurt my friends!

I don't know what possessed me to even try since it was probably broken anyway, but I suddenly felt this strong urge to call Vlad just so I could hear his real voice so I weakly reached into my soaked jean pocket and pulled out the custom-made cell phone Vlad gave me to replace my old one about a week ago that he told me to use in emergencies. Vlad even claimed it'd work in the Ghost Zone too so I hope it that was true and that it could endure a lot of water damage.

Once it looked like it I managed to get it turned on, since I had him on speed dial I just barely managed to press 5 before my arm fell limp. I chose to program his number on 5 because in Roman numerals that made it the letter V which I thought was good for irony, plus since the 5 was in the middle of the number pad I thought that would make it easy to press it almost instantly after opening the phone if I was hurt or something just like this. And to my surprise, it actually started to ring after I pressed the speed dial after all.

The droning sound of each slow ring was almost as mesmerizing as the staff's power because it seemed to drag on for so long that I was afraid I'd pass out long before he answered his phone but then, by some miracle, it clicked to signal that Vlad had finally picked up. But since I was holding the phone at a distance I could barely hear him at first.

"_Vlad Master's speaking..." _Vlad replied in this bored, professional, business-like tone of voice. I guess he failed to notice that I was the one who called him this time since he usually said_ 'why hello little badger, how are you today?'_

Still, hearing his voice for real this time suddenly opened the floodgates and I weakly drew the small object close to my heart as I sobbed, "Oh my god, Vlad...I...it's really you this time..."

After hearing my weak broken voice, Vlad snapped to full alertness now demanded harshly, _"Danielle, what's wrong?"_

"_...Freakshow..." _I tried to explain, but then my arms fell slack again and all of my strength finally began to give out on me, the phone rolling uselessly onto its side as I collapsed, completely senseless so I could no longer hear Vlad's desperate cries asking me to respond.


	25. Urgency

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **That last chapter was quite the doozie huh guys? I was going to drag out the whole _'controlled and kidnapped by Freakshow'_ thing but since that's already been done I decided to try something else and this is what I came up with. And to answer _"GiselleVera's" _question, it was a dangerously close call but no Freakshow never actually sexually abused her. He seriously considered it though given how human she looks. Either way, poor Dani is at her wit's end and she's tired of always getting in trouble in one form or another then barely surviving an encounter like this on her only to be unjustly punished by her parents and or teachers anyway and reprimanded for being _'careless'_ when really they shouldn't be so hard on her. Honestly, if they knew the truth they should all just be glad she's alive. And this particular incident really shook Dani up despite not remembering much of what happened since it wasn't just about fighting ghosts, no, this time she nearly lost herself in the process when it's already hard living a double life. Still, she did the right thing by putting her pride aside and calling for help. It just needed to come from the right person, someone who is actually much more reliable in a pinch who actually gives a damn about the circumstances, or well, cares enough to actually do something about it to make sure this never happens again...

* * *

**Chapter 25:** Urgency

* * *

Vlad's POV

As tedious and menial as today's tasks were, while it tired me out substantially I was happy knowing that things were finally falling into place while I continued preparing to move to Amity Park to be closer to Danielle. It was hard letting her go the first time, but the second was even more difficult since I finally got to get know my little badger on a much deeper level and overall his plans for her went better in some ways than in other during their last encounter. And because she forgave me for what happened when my last attempt to surprise her went wrong in every possible way, whenever I found the time to do so on a more personal level speaking to Danielle after that was easier since she seemed much more open and felt at ease confiding more in me which warmed my heart.

I worried about her though because it didn't take long at all before she was trapped in that vicious cycle again as Danielle continued to struggle to keep her grades up while finding the time to deal with things at home with her parents and the bully problem at school, not to mention still fighting ghosts on top of all that. She was getting better at handling most threats to that blasted town from what I've heard, but all the non-stop ghost fighting was taking its took its toll on her. Some nights Danielle would often fell asleep in the middle of a conversation while we were going over math problems or I was helping her with her other homework.

The poor girl was being almost as hard on herself as her parents were trying to keep it together and push through the struggle. And I had a feeling I was adding pressure as well since Danielle longed to impress me with the one thing she felt she was truly any good at which was fighting ghosts. I hated seeing her do this to herself and I wished there was some way I could lift some of the burden off as far as how many ghosts she fought on a daily basis, but sadly at least one of her enemies that I knew was an occasional employee of mine and while I made my warnings to him perfectly clear, most of my other warnings were not taken as seriously since I was not there to personally make good on my threats.

I could always send my minions to take care of that of course, but most of them were spies and they weren't exactly built for combat. I needed to change that and I had a few ideas of how to do that but first I needed to find someone who wouldn't make an enemy of Danielle simply because she _'ruins' _the fun for most ghosts by sending them back to where they came from. Like the pilot I hired who as it turns out held a grudge against her for capturing Technus before he could get a part he needed to repair some private plane he was building as a side project. Sadly, there wasn't much I could do from here without alerting Danielle to my presence and making her feel like I was being overbearing and overprotective like her brother...

It was a delicate balance between giving her room to grow and making sure I could be there when she needed me. The good news was I was one step closer to buying out Axion Labs and work was well underway building my new home there in the richer portion of Amity Park from the ground up since I had to employ most of my usual unofficial contractors who could build a new lab for me and implement many of my usual security measures into the building such as the anti-ghost and human shield which I finally finished developing. Now I could alter the energy through verbal commands or manually so it would only let registered ghosts or humans through while it would repel everyone else, and it wouldn't shock anyone unless their energy or vital readings suggested they were hostile. I did this mostly for Danielle's sake after the disaster that took place the first time I tested it when it ended up shocking her and I refused to allow such a thing to repeat itself. This time, if circumstances forced me to do so again, I could safely keep Danielle confined without causing any undue harm to her person whether in human form or ghost.

Regardless, today turned out to be a long, grueling, and monotonous day of business meetings and calls so I looked forward to turning in for the night once I checked in on Danielle. The last time we spoke she seemed excited about some circus or other with an unusual Gothic theme that was coming to Amity Park and her friend Samson bought tickets for all three of them. They were going to see the show during the weekend apparently.

I could see the appeal of visiting this circus to some extent given how even I was somewhat interested in the occult thanks to my love of ghostly relics and artifacts, but I was worried that her parents either wouldn't approve of her going or they might complicate things by tagging along to make sure there weren't any _'real' _ghosts hidden among the men and women in skeleton costumes. But I never dreamed I would discover that BOTH of those things turned out to be involved in this circus after all that were of a ghostly nature...

* * *

While I was expecting one more important call today, because it was already rather late now I assumed they decided to call me at a more reasonable hour in the morning instead. Therefore I decided it was about time I got ready for bed before calling Danielle. However, when my phone suddenly rang a moment later just as I was about to leave my office I begrudgingly answered it without thinking or checking the caller ID.

After making so many business calls today it was almost an automatic reaction.

"Vlad Master's speaking..." I began in a blunt but courteous tone of voice, cursing my bad luck that someone would call now when what all I really wanted to do was talk to Danielle as usual to see how their first day visiting the circus went.

Needless to say I was stunned when instead of receiving a formal greeting from the person I was expecting a call from, I heard a choked sob on the other end of the line as Danielle's voice just barely registered on the speaker,_ "Oh my god, Vlad...I...it's really you this time..."_

Alarmed by how weak and exhausted she sounded I rushed to my feet and demanded, "Danielle, what's wrong?"

Danielle tried to respond but the only word, or name rather, that made it past her lips was _'Freakshow'_ and after that I heard a muffled clatter when the phone slipped from her hand and it fell uselessly to the ground. After that, all I could hear was the sound of waves and trees swaying in the wind which suggested she was somewhere outside.

"Danielle! Can you hear me? Please say something! DANIELLE!" I shouted, my hand visibly shaking as I gripped the phone tightly to my ear because I feared that she was injured or worse, she might be dying and I needed to reach her, NOW.

After that I dropped the phone, transformed, and flew straight to my ghost portal.

I knew there was no way I could teleport to Amity Park fast enough even in bursts since even my power had limits so my best chance to reach her quickly was to enter the Ghost Zone and go through her parent's portal instead. Knowing them, they didn't even know how to lock down the damn thing so that meant opening it from the other side would be all too easy. I mean if almost every ghost who happened upon it could get through undetected by a pair of hack ghost hunters, then I could too. True, I already had minions there that I could order to go find Danielle but I didn't want to waste valuable time so I decided to rely on no one but myself and the tracking device I had installed in her new phone for emergencies such as this.

Normally I could stay calm and collected and I would take the time to plan these things out more carefully, but this was different, this was my beloved Danielle we were talking about and she was either in terrible danger or deeply distraught and she needed me by her side. I was taking no chances and my fingers shook as I strapped on the watch-like device onto my wrist which I used to communicate with my minions, to gather or search for information stored on my personal supercomputer system here in the castle, or to track down specific energy signatures which I was going to do now to reach the Fenton Portal as quickly as possible.

I memorized the location of the enterance just in case, but since the Ghost Zone was constantly shifting and changing there was no surefire method of reaching it through memory alone. I'd have to rely on my senses and this tracking device to make sure I got there quickly. And while in the Ghost Zone, I could easily teleport most of the way there in bursts just like here on Earth only without worrying as much about wasting valuable time since time didn't work like that in the Ghost Zone because in some places, it didn't exist at all.

The point is, I wouldn't let anything get between me and my destination.

I dropped absolutely everything to find her since I knew it had to be serious if she gave in and called me for help. Danielle's pride usually stopped her from admitting to anything even when I could tell Danielle was suffering some discomfort in silence due to an injury she didn't want me to know about. I didn't scold her about it persay, however, I did ask her to be more careful for her own sake and because I cared about her well-being. Danielle would usually give in after that and would go take care of the problem so I wouldn't worry even if it took time away from our calls. This time was different though since she just barely managed to call me before passing out and I realized that Danielle could be anywhere right now.

My only clue to work with was this Freakshow who as it turned out was the ringleader of the circus they were going to visit, Circus Gothica. Something must have happened between the two of them if his name was the first thing she mentioned before collapsing. But if he's the one who did this to her, Freakshow was not going live long enough to regret his actions. Anyone who so much as scratched my little badger was as good as dead or doomed to slow torture, and if they were a ghost and dead already then total annihilation was their inevitable fate at my hands.

* * *

In a blinding blur of green and purple I teleported several times directly through the Ghost Zone to get at least within a mile of the Fenton Portal, but strangely enough I could almost sense it's power humming for myself since it was so familiar and I almost didn't need the energy reading feature on my device. Relieved that I made it there without incident, I opened it as I assume most other ghosts have figured out how to from this side and poked my head in, scanning the lab of Fenton Works for any signs of life. I literally checked the heart monitor feature on the device on my wrist too and when detected nothing I wasted no time flying out of the portal and phasing through the roof to get my bearings.

After that, I checked the local news and papers for any information regarding the location of this Circus Gothica and I quickly discovered that recently there has been a string of ghostly robberies that started just before the circus rolled into town by the station. And to my growing shock I saw that there was even a news clip of Danielle taking part in one such robbery, but I could tell there was something off about her. For one thing, her eyes were glowing blood red and not their green, and the wicked smile on her face was unsettling and felt very much unlike her...

Putting two and two together I had a horrible feeling that Freakshow had something to do with these robberies somehow since those other ghosts accompanying did, in fact, look like circus performers. It almost reminded me of the bank robberies I pulled off years ago to speed up my rise to power so I could use all the new power only raw wealth could offer that was now at my disposal to destroy Jack Fenton either literally or figuratively. But if this Freakshow managed to control Danielle and these other ghosts somehow so easily he had to have some sort of literal power over them, such as a spell or maybe an object that was controlling their minds. Aside from that though, his circus was not all that acclaimed so this Freakshow character didn't hold much power over the masses, not like I did, except for maybe a small cult following of goths and rebellious teenagers such as Danielle's friend Samson.

Speaking of which, while searching for answers I found a short video clip that some teenager posted online talking about the new act they saw that wasn't advertised on the Circus Gothica pamphlets with this beautiful fallen angel walking the tightrope wearing a tattered hooded robe. I didn't need to see her face to know it was Danielle hidden under the hood, I could feel it somehow, but either way I was also troubled to see that some poor bystander had been dragged into the _'act'_ as well. But sadly, the danger they were currently in was very much real since there was no net down below the high wire and only Danielle could literally fly despite supposedly being a _'fallen'_ angel since she was half-ghost...

Therefore, the fact that Danielle was willing putting him in said danger herself and looking like she was reveling in it quickly told me all I needed to know about this Freakshow fellow. Whoever this evil ringleader was, he was greedy, dangerous, and all too willing to kill in front of people and cover up the fact that it was real by making it seem like part of the show. Thankfully, Danielle managed to snap out of the hypnotic daze she was in just long enough to save his latest victim from falling to his death and I was relieved about this only because I knew she would have never forgiven herself if someone died because of her or she killed them herself even while under someone else's control.

Unfortunately, the person taking this video on their phone was too far away to record what was being said after the young man who I could only assume was Danielle's friend Samson was safely lowered to the ground. And it wasn't long before she seemed to have slipped back under their control again as Freakshow approached the pair of them menacingly down near the edge of the center ring. I could tell that whatever he said to Samson was a warning of some kind, and once that was seemingly taken care of Freakshow strolled off back outside with Danielle in tow who was lazily floating behind him as if being pulled along by invisible chains like some kind of animal bound to a leash.

After that my quickly eyes fell on the unusual blood-red staff I noticed Freakshow was holding rather closely to him and just seeing it made me feel a bit strange like there was a slightly pleasant hum in the back of my mind, but the odd feeling was easy to resist and that's when I realized that object was probably what was controlling Danielle! In fact, I faintly remembered seeing something just like it once in a book of ancient ghost artifacts I had back home. But if it was the same staff I was thinking of then I couldn't believe it was real, let alone understand how on earth a lowlife such as Freakshow obtained something so powerful...

Still, the fact that he could use it to control so many ghosts with that staff alone without them being in direct contact with the red light coming from the orb disturbed me deeply. It did explain how the robberies couldn't be traced back to him through those ghosts I saw in the news footage earlier. Unofficially, I believed it was simply called The Crystal Ball Staff, but according to the entry in the tome I read it went by another name and had something to do with blood magic that was used to create a special type of energy capable of controlling almost any ghost by entrancing them and making them addicted to it as if the red glow was some kind of a euphoric drug to them, making them complacent and eager to serve whoever controlled the staff.

And judging from all the recently clips I saw of Freakshow himself, it looked like he never put it down which suggested he was afraid of what would happen if he lost control over his underlings who were clearly not there by choice. And unfortunately Danielle was one of them since I knew for a fact that she would never do anything so evil such as put innocent lives in danger or rob banks.

According to the most recent news report I listened to as I flew towards the fairgrounds near the train station, they were informing the town that Freakshow had just been arrested and was being charged with theft, assault, and possible kidnapping because according to Danielle's other friend Trish who was found on the train and told the police her version of what happened, it appeared that Samson And Danielle herself were both still missing and they were last seen somewhere by the river on the opposite side of town. Since this was all ghost related though I knew I needed to find Danielle before the police did just in case she was still in ghost form even while unconscious as a defense mechanism since she'd been through such a horrific ordeal. I could leave the search for her other friend to the police though.

My only priority now was finding Danielle before anything else happened to her.


	26. Lost

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

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**Chapter 26:** Lost

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Vlad's POV

There was still plenty of time before the police made it here and began combing the woods for any signs of Samson Manson and Danielle Fenton but I wanted to find her first to avoid any unforeseen complications. No doubt she was disoriented and confused right now which wasn't good. However, it was to be expected after recovering from mind control. I had to wonder how much Danielle would even remember about this unfortunate turn of events really. For all I knew, Danielle was hiding from the authorities on purpose with her friend because she didn't want to face them or her parents while she felt so ashamed of herself for letting this happen and therefore didn't want to be found.

Not by them at any rate.

Danielle did reach out to me which meant she trusted me so I didn't want to let her down. And if her friend wasn't there I'd help her search for him so they could go back together once she calmed down. I was a bit unsure about her friends since Danielle only told them so much about me but she seemed to trust them with her secret and mine so I did my best to trust her judgment as well. At least it made things a little easier since I wouldn't have to explain who I was to them if they saw me in ghost form.

With that in mind, once I reached the bridge Trish Foley mentioned in the news report, I scanned the area for the tracker in the phone but to my surprise I also detected a strange energy reading deep under water a bit further down the river. Part of me wishes I could have secured some time to speak alone with this young lady to hear the real story of what happened on the train but there was no time for that. All I knew was that supposedly they discovered the stolen goods on the train when Freakshow tried to make a break for it and they had a confrontation but that was it. I had no way of knowing what happened after that.

If I had to hazard a guess though, their encounter must have ended up on the roof of the train and if they were last seen near the river then their friend must have been knocked off and Danielle just barely managed to save him by snapping out of her trance and back into _'hero'_ mode. Either way, I needed to focus on tracking down the phone first before I worried about the other energy reading since I knew for a fact it wasn't Danielle. I would have recognized with without the readings since I knew hers as well as I knew my own if not better.

* * *

To my dismay, when I found what I was looking for Danielle was nowhere in sight. I picked it up and tucked it into my belt, reaching up to increase the sensor settings to maximum to narrow the search when my ghost hearing picked up a voice. I turned, waiting to hear it again before teleporting closer to it. And when I did I was shocked to see a boy dressed in stereotypical black Gothic clothes with belts galore with dark locks to match, pale skin, and deep violet eyes rubbing his arms and sniffling before he cupped his hands to his mouth and called Danielle's name again, the short version anyway.

I contemplated just leaving him there to continue the search on my own as planned but then I realized he might have valuable information and if we worked together we might be able to find Danielle faster. With that in mind, I landed softly on the ground and snapped a twig on purpose to alert him to my presence and his head snapped in my direction, eyes wide and glaring.

"Who's there?" he demanded before his eyes softened and he took a step towards the trees, asking a bit more meekly, "Dani? Is that you?"

"Not quite," I replied, stepping out of the shadows with my arms folded, appraising the young man before me with a frown.

Since I was in ghost form, that set him on edge and the boy assumed a battle stance and despite knowing he stood no chance against me he demanded, "Who are you? Are you another one of Freakshow's goons!? I'm warning you, stay back or else I-"

"You'll what?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow at him. "Punch my lights out? Oh please, in the state you're in you can barely walk. Besides, if I WAS one of his _'goons'_ do you really think I'd waste time on pleasantries? You'd already be dead if that were the case. But no, I have nothing to do with that foolish FOOLISH man who is lucky I have more important things to deal with..."

Confused, he lowered his arms slightly and asked in a more even tone, "Well if you're not with Freakshow then who..." trailing off though, his eyes lit up in realization as he gasped, "Wait a second, horn-like hair, long cape, fangs...are you that guy Dani won't shut up about? The one who's half-ghost too!?"

Rolling my eyes I nodded, "So you've heard of me? I'm flattered. At any rate, yes, you are correct. I am in fact the one and only Vlad Plasmius. And given that you know that I assume you're Danielle's friend Samson correct?"

Despite glowering at the use of his full name, once Samson knew I was no longer a threat he lowered his arms and asked, "Yeah that's right but, what are you doing here? Don't you live all the way in Wisconsin?"

Dismissing the question I shook my head and scowled, "We really don't have time for this! The police will be here soon to mount a search for you and Danielle so we need to find her first before that happens. Will you help me look? I also need to know EXACTLY what happened in case she's...not in her right mind yet. All I know is that I received a call from her using the phone I gave her for emergencies but Danielle blacked out before mentioning anything more than Freakshow's name. After that, I made my way here immediately and did some research but I need you to fill in the blanks."

Samson nodded, his eyes narrowed and determined since he wanted to rescue Danielle as much as I did and he recounted the entire sordid tale starting from when she started acting odd too when Freakshow actually took control of her mind. Sadly the last thing he remembered was being knocked off of the train and seeing Danielle fly down after him carrying his staff before everything went dark and he woke up by himself safely on the shore, drenched, but uninjured thanks to her. Going off of that I could only assume Danielle just barely managed to catch him in time and they both fell into the river. Since her hands were occupied by the staff it must have been an awkward rescue so maybe she lost her grip on him after they made it to the surface and then was washed downriver along with the staff which was likely the source of that other energy reading I saw earlier...

If that was the case though, where did Danielle go after that?

Did she have the strength to fly away? Did she try following the train back to her _'master?' _Was she currently disoriented and still looking for the staff or perhaps wandering the woods? Either way, she couldn't have gotten very far in her condition from the air or the ground so that narrowed the search considerably to somewhere near the river or the surrounding area. Samson told me he wanted to help search but after sneezing for the third time in a row I told him to leave it to me and that he should dry off before he caught a cold. He protested at first but I told him she might be drawn to the firelight too if she was lost so starting one would help guide Danielle to us if that was the case. Besides, I didn't want to have to babysit him since unlike me he couldn't see in the dark.

Reluctantly Samson finally agreed to stay put and after gathering some firewood, I saved us both some time by igniting it with ecto-energy instead of the old fashioned way with a few rocks or some sticks before rushing off to begin my search again, ignoring his stunned expression. This at least got him out of my hair and the light would likely attract the search parties to him instead of me once they started blindly combing the woods which would buy me a little more time to find Danielle first. Basically, this was the perfect distraction AND a backup plan in case Danielle did notice the fire and made her way there from wherever she wandered off to.

Still, even with my night vision that was included with my other basic ghost powers, it was extremely dark and the trees were so dense it was hard to see much of anything even from the air. As time went on I grew more and more anxious, fearing for her life since my sensors weren't detecting any signs of ghost activity anywhere, least of all Danielle's. Even if that was true though it could also mean that she may have reverted to human form anyway and couldn't maintain her ghostly persona even in a traumatized state like this when she was likely on high alert...

I'm not the sort of man that believes in such nonsense but I prayed that I would find her soon, especially when I turned around and noticed flashlights in the distance heading towards Samson's fire. I couldn't let them take her away from me, not in the state she was in. They wouldn't know how to treat Danielle's wounds if she was hurt or they might discover something we didn't want them to. I hoped she was uninjured either way but it was still a distinct possibility after the fact if Danielle was in fact forcefully dragged down the river.

_Please be safe..._I whispered to myself subconsciously, checking the scanner again when I blinked, noticing a small blip on the screen. I thought I imagined it at first but as I flew further in that direction it went off again. Shortly after, I felt something cool brush against my cheek, like the lovingly gentle stroke of Danielle's fingers as her voice called my name and no sooner had I felt this...phantom touch that I quite literally sensed Danielle's presence when I exhaled some hot air through my nose when my ghost sense went off.

Like a bloodhound catching the scent, I flew off in that direction at top speed, phasing straight through the trees and that's when I saw her...limping as she walked towards me, eyes glowing dimly but they were green again which suggested that the staff was no longer controlling her. "Danielle!" I cried, running towards her on foot and wrapping my arms around her limp shoulders as I cradled her head which was resting under my chin and I found myself actually tearing up as relief flooded my system. "Oh thank god! Thank god I found you first! It's alright now, I've got you..."

The moment I embraced her, to my dismay I discovered that Danielle was soaking wet which further proved my earlier theory about being caught in the rapids after saving her friend. But that hardly mattered now. What mattered was that she was safe in my arms and seemingly uninjured aside from there being something wrong with her leg...

She was still wearing that blasted robe which was now even more torn than before over her hazmat suit which would explain how it was so hard to see Danielle even with a ghostly version of night vision and her white hair was practically glued to her face and fell over those frightfully dim green eyes of hers since she was still in ghost form after all. I didn't know why that made her energy signature so weak on my sensors but it didn't matter because I found her! Now I just needed to get her out of here before-

"I don't...understand..." Danielle suddenly muttered, her eyes drifting closed, "Why are you calling me that...?"

"Calling you what my dear?" I asked, confused but still not worrying too much as I stroked her wet hair while trying to comfort Danielle who seemed to be in a state of confusion herself.

"So warm..." Danielle continued airily, wrapping her arms around me and pressing herself closer, "Why does this warmth feel so...familiar?"

Troubled now, I pulled away from her reluctantly to look into Danielle's eyes as they slowly flitted open to stare at me and I was shocked to see nothing but innocent confusion here as they gazed blankly up at me through her long dark lashes. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost go as far as to say it almost looked like she didn't even recognize me. But no, that was ridiculous, right?

How could she have possibly...forgotten me?

I barely caught her in time when Danielle's legs suddenly gave out and I gently eased her to the ground, supporting her shoulders as I held her upright. She blinked slowly, dazed, and started to whisper fearfully, "I know you. I know I do so why can't I-? Everything is so blurry. All I can see is...red. Red like fire in my head and in my blood if I don't obey... and it hurts! It hurts so much. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I-I promise I won't do it again! I just didn't want you to hurt my friends! They ARE my friends...right? NO! No, I don't want to remember! Please make it stop! Please make it stop...please...please..."

After that, she covered her face in both hands and started to quiver, but I could only sit there in shock as I held her protectively in my arms. Was Danielle really just dazed and confused right now because of what happened? Or was this going to be a much more difficult problem to solve than I first anticipated...? Because if this was really happening, if she couldn't remember who she was, then I was going to murder that ringleader, Freakshow, for hurting my precious Danielle so deeply like this.

And his would not be a swift death...

* * *

**Note:** Yes I know, I'm putting this note at the end of the chapter but uh...surprise! I know this is a cheap route to take but meh, I wanted to have some fun with temporary amnesia! I tried explaining before that this story is basically just a random mess about a new relationship between female Danny and Vlad so I don't exactly have anything specific planned out. I had some ideas but since I didn't use them or don't planned to what you see is what you get! Please don't be mad at me and again I promise this is ONLY temporary since Danielle's been through a very traumatizing experience which only triggered her existing fears that she wants to forget...


	27. Shattered

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

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**Note: _Warning! Mentions of physical abuse ahead!_**

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**Chapter 27:** Shattered

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Danielle's POV

Something inside of me was broken, even I could tell that much, but I couldn't remember how or when it happened. I couldn't remember anything. Not my name, my age, my own face when I noticed my reflection in the water as a wave brushed against my face. I woke up to a dull pain throbbing in my leg and then I suddenly felt this urge to move, to go somewhere out of the open when I noticed how alone I was. Where that was or why I felt that way I didn't know.

Away. I think I was trying to get away from something. Not like a literal threat but more like something I couldn't remember, in fact, whenever I tried there was a burst of red light and anything I managed to bring to the surface of my mind became too blurry to recognize. I could only see fragments at a time but each one felt like a freshly opened wound so eventually I stopped trying to remember. It hurt less that way. I just had to keep moving...

I could remember that I was half-ghost and that I wanted to protect people. The only problem though is I couldn't remember why I wanted to or who they were. It was like I was remembering only half of a dream, or more accurately, half of my own life. Actually no, I take that back. I could only remember bits and pieces of my human half which were only vague images and sounds, but my ghost half...I could remember with much more clarity. And that's saying something since it was more like a body memory than actual memories about it.

That's how I knew that the glowing green liquid dripping down my leg as I limped into the forest was ectoplasmic blood. I didn't pay it any mind though, I should have, but I didn't because I was still lethargic and disoriented because of the sharp pain I felt when I tried to remember who I was or how I got here. All I could remember were these strong feelings of mounting frustration, disappointment, and heartache so I instinctively blocked it out to protect myself from the crushing weight of it all. But at the same time I knew there had to be more to it than that though because there was another feeling that kept me going...

It was hope.

I felt like if I kept myself moving, never looking back, I'd find who I was looking for and they would take away all of my pain. I couldn't tell you how I knew that but it was all I had to hang onto. And so I wandered deeper and deeper into the woods and since I was already lost it didn't matter which direction I started walking in. I could have floated or flew up into the air I suppose but I was so exhausted and I didn't want to fall out of the sky by passing out. Not that I was paying any attention to where I was going anyway. It already felt like I was sleepwalking so I fell into a rhythm of touching every tree I passed or if there was one directly in my path I phased through it.

Before long I lost track of time too. For all I knew I'd been walking for hours while slipping in and out of my sleep-like state and that's when I heard it. Out of nowhere I heard a familiar voice, faint but comforting, and I instinctively began moving in that direction instead where I felt the presence of another ghost as a puff of cold mist escaped my lips. I wasn't sure why but something about it told me this wasn't a hostile ghost. It piqued my curiosity so I didn't resist that feeling in the slightest.

Once I was face to face with the ghost in question, he suddenly embraced me and acted like...he knew me. How strange. I felt like I knew him and I knew the name he was calling but what either of them had to do with me was a mystery. I couldn't fathom it. But his warmth felt so comforting so I wrapped my arms around him too, letting it seep into my bones and across my chilled skin since I was still soaking wet because I never dried off properly.

The longer he held me, the harder it became to think and something was screaming at me to remember him because he was important to me. How important I wasn't sure. But then, when he held me out at arms length and I looked into his pupil-less red eyes, strangely enough I could easily read his expression. He looked worried, almost scared. Fear...I could remember feeling afraid of something, something red that both hurt and beguiled me depending on its purpose as it filled my mind...

After that I winced when a flood of images blinded me and he barely caught me before I collapsed onto the ground. There was so much. I could see someone holding a staff high above their head, heard them ordering me to kill and the pain burned inside my head when I refused to. I saw the frightened faces of two people that I assumed were my friends and one of them fell and I caught them.

But then I saw the towering forms of two figures looming above me, their voices cold and accusing and I didn't want to remember that so I retreated back behind the protective stupor I felt safe in and didn't even realize that as all of this was going on in my head, I was muttering aloud to myself as the ghost before me unlatched his long cape and draped it around my quivering shoulders. I didn't feel threatened though so I let him do so. It wasn't like I understood what was happening around me anymore anyway. All that mattered was that this stranger was offering me some small comfort, which was more than I could have asked for given how lost and scared I felt since there was nothing left of me but the broken girl in his arms.

* * *

Vlad's POV

I could tell Danielle wasn't lucid anymore because her eyes became completely empty and glazed and before long she stopped responding to my words at all and simply curled up against my crest and mentally withdrew from the rest of the world. There was no way I could take her to her friend in this condition, he'd accuse me of doing something to her or would insist Danielle's parents would know how to fix it but right now Danielle didn't even know how to turn human again! I needed more time to figure this out yet I knew I couldn't just leave Danielle's friend in the woods by himself wondering where I was and waiting for rescue.

Of course, the obvious solution presented itself when I thought of needing to be two places at once when really I needed to be in three so while carrying Danielle close I flew into the air and created three duplicates and telepathically gave them instructions. The first was to go inform Samson that I found Danielle and would contact him later once things calmed down, the second flew off back towards the river with my tracking device to search for that staff, and finally, I sent the third to go keep an eye on the police car that contained Freakshow in it. I knew absorbing their memories later would cause a massive headache while extending my reach to remain connected to them but it would be worth it once my plans fell into place...

For now though I needed to take Danielle to safety while making sure her friend was out of the way so to make things easier I made that duplicate overshadow one of the people leading the search and directed them towards the campfire we built so Samson wouldn't catch a chill. As luck would have it, despite how worried he was about Danielle, almost drowning took its toll on him too so Samson was fast asleep next to the smoldering embers of what was left of the campfire by the time anyone reached him.

If he'd been awake I considered overshadowing the boy to leave an impression that everything was fine and not to worry about Danielle. Thankfully now I wouldn't have to. Either way, once he woke up they wouldn't let him go anywhere anytime soon so he'd have no choice but to leave the search to me. Besides which the police would likely want to hear more about how they discovered Freakshow was behind the ghostly robberies. Of course, while it seemed like the town was slowly becoming more aware of ghosts I doubt anyone could imagine there being a human capable of controlling them who'd use their powers to rob banks...

That being said, they had no choice but to rely on my help anyway making sure Danielle was alright. Well, as alright as she could be right now. I was hoping that destroying that staff would remove any lingering traces of its power from her subconscious but I also had something else in mind for how to use it. After all, I was half-human as well as half-ghost so surely I could utilize it's power correct? True, I still felt some of the same allure Danielle did when exposed to its eerie red glow, but compared to the pull I felt towards Danielle herself, this relic's power over me was laughably weak in comparison. Not to mention I was far more powerful and experienced than her so it was much easier for me to resist.

The thing about mind control is that no matter how powerful it is, part of you has to WANT to lose control. It has to be open to suggestion and impressionable which I for one was not. I bent my will for no one, except maybe for her since I loved Danielle and wanted to do whatever I could to make her happy. I adapted as needed but that was always MY choice. So for Danielle to fall so easily under its spell had to mean she was yearning for an escape, freedom from her troubles, and it left her mind exposed to the staff's suggestive powers.

Part of Danielle was probably subconsciously tired of playing the hero all the time so the version of her I saw in the news clip, the one who embraced the darkness inside of herself that reveled in her wicked ways, that was still part of who she was. It was the part of Danielle who wanted to rebel, to break free from her chains. However, even then hurting or killing others was against everything she still stood for which meant even at her darkest Danielle would never willingly injure someone. Not even if they deserved it.

That's why so long as she wasn't harming anyone, especially those closest to her, it likely wasn't all that difficult to keep her under the staff's control and that made her enemy too bold and complacent. It wasn't until Freakshow ordered her to kill her friends that Danielle resisted. He wasn't used to that, so he hurt her and used the staff's power to snuff out any and all resistance which left her memories in shambles because Danielle was more than just a ghost unlike his other minions. She was half-human and therefore not ruled by the same compulsive nature most ghosts had to single-mindedly pursue their ghostly obsession, which in this case was redirected into following Freakshow's orders...

And given how unusually human Danielle must have looked to him, Freakshow treated her like some sort of exotic pet that was both beautiful and dangerous and it disgusted me. The thought of that sick oily-skinned freak TOUCHING her at all made my skin crawl and my ghostly aura began to flare up with raw ectoplasmic energy that made sparks fly around every inch of my body. Therefore, I had to pause for a moment to take a deep breath and I nestled my head on Danielle's to calm down enough to focus on the task at hand. She needed me after all and for now I couldn't allow myself to get swept away by thoughts of revenge. Not yet.

Danielle was still catatonic in my arms but I suppose it was better than her being frightened and distressed while her mind was being further torn apart by the emotional turmoil and torture it seemed to be to try and remember anything. I could only hope all of this was temporary and I could still save her. At least she seemed to remember me enough not to be afraid which gave me hope that Danielle would recover from this. I simply had to be there for her and the man who did this would suffer such retribution that the ghosts of Amity Park would finally know what it would mean for them once I made good on my threats.

* * *

While only temporary since I had nowhere else actually IN Amity Park to take her, thankfully since the home I was building in Ultra Posh Springs had all the basic furnishings and essentials, like for instance a functioning shield, I brought her there for safekeeping so I could attend to other business. She still wasn't responding aside from the occasional whimper as Danielle clung to me. That all changed however once my duplicate brought the staff that started this whole mess...

As suspected, even in this catatonic state Danielle's eyes turned from green to blood red and she stared intensely at the swirling ball of energy before her with rapt attention. Actually seeing it for myself was incredibly unsettling but soon it's power over her would vanish along with the man who drew her in through its hypnotic influence. Strange how now that I was holding it its power tugging at me as well disappeared entirely like it was acknowledging me as its new master, and by extension hers.

But this wasn't what I wanted! Danielle wasn't some pawn in a chess game, she was the new love of my life! If anything she was my pride and joy and seeing her like this awoke feelings of pure unadulterated fury that I haven't allowed myself to feel since I promised Danielle I would leave her father alone. Much like Jack's screw up that ruined my life, Freakshow made this personal by hurting the woman I love. And for him at least, that mistake was going to cost him his life. He should pray he winds up in hell and not as a ghost because if I so much as heard a whisper of his name in the Ghost Zone, I would make it my personal mission to find him and make sure that no trace of even his soul remained in this or any world.

Since it didn't feel right to leave her like this, I took the time to clean off Danielle's body with a damp clothe and once that was done I helped her get dressed in a simple sleeveless white nightgown I stole from a nearby house since I didn't have time to buy something instead or had anything else immediately on hand here at the manor. I still needed to clean and mend her hazmat suit anyway so for now she'd have to settle for a slightly too-small stolen nightgown.

Then I washed the dried ectoplasmic blood off of her injured leg and wrapped it in a fresh bandage and again, while few and faded I could see traces of physical abuse adorning her pale skin that had been hidden underneath the filth. And the sight of it made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle...

I found no traces of sexual abuse while examining her, thank god, however either Freakshow himself or another ghost had taken advantage of her docile demeanor to give Danielle just enough of a beating that it showed. At least it showed enough for a practiced eye to see. There were light red marks and bruises on her neck, both wrists, and even a few on her back but thankfully that was it.

The marks on Danielle's back looked like they were the result of a high-heeled boot being pressing down hard enough to bruise her skin through the layers of fabric as they pinned her down, the ones on her neck were from a tight choke hold where sharp nails dug into the skin and drew blood most likely, and lastly, the marks on her wrists and forearms looked like they were from something being violently ripped off of her...like say some stolen jewelry perhaps...?

Taking all that into account it looked like this was the handiwork of a jealous female ghost in Freakshow's little cast of ghost slaves who tried to assert their dominance over their new _'comrade,'_ but I use the term loosely since they clearly had enough self-awareness to do this much harm to Danielle without their master catching wind of it. After all, while entranced who would she tell? Why would she want to? In fact it was a terrifying thought to think that Danielle might not have even defended herself while this was happening or Freakshow LET it happen and told her not to so he could enjoy the show.

Whatever the case may be, regardless of the situation I softly kissed each injury before tending to them as best I could as if somehow it could burn away the memory of such cruelty. I was troubled though when Danielle didn't even shiver involuntarily when I kissed the mark between her shoulder blades. Normally that would have sparked some sort of reaction from her but this time there was nothing, nothing at all...

As much as I hated to do this, the staff's power was the only thing that could ensure that Danielle stayed put and didn't interfere once she discovered what I was about to do. Because even without her memories, Danielle's heart was pure and she would never let even a villain suffer such a cruel fate as the one I had in store. I couldn't risk anyone finding her either while she couldn't defend herself so after this I would make sure the anti-ghost and human shield was up so that nothing could get in or out while I was gone, including Danielle.

Holding the staff closer to her, which made her sway and follow every movement I made, I asked her, "Danielle, can you hear me?"

As a brief look of confusion flitted across her face when she couldn't recognize her own name, with those alarmingly glazed and half-laden red eyes, she nodded and replied in an oddly sensual voice, "Yes master..."

My eyes widened slightly upon noticing the suggestive undertone but I ignored it as well as my discomfort at DANIELLE calling me her master, and said, "Until I return, you are not to leave this room. If you see anyone enter besides me you are to turn invisible, stay out of sight, and remain silent unless I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?"

"I do," she answered, her eyelids fluttering slightly as Danielle swayed dizzily again.

_Danielle must still be exhausted, _I thought, pitying her. Then while glancing at the staff in my hand again, I wondered, _I should be careful about how much of this power I use this on her seeing as it's what caused this but maybe- _

Straightening up again, I held the staff out before me and ordered, "Change back and go to sleep..."

And just like that, her eyes rolled back and Danielle collapsed onto the bed like a rag doll, her trademark ring of light splitting into two and passing over both ends of her body, transforming her white hair back to black and her closed eyes to their usual blue luster. I was almost appalled by how strong its power over her still was but then I reasoned it would be safer for both of us if Danielle stayed asleep until I returned and see if her memory problem could be sorted out quickly by removing Freakshow and the staff from her presence...

It was heartbreaking to see Danielle look so helpless so I tucked her in and like so many times before I brushed back her hair to kiss her brow but then I hesitated. No, I needed something deeper than that so instead while I held the staff in my other hand, I cupped her cheek with my other hand and kissed her lips. And it was only after I pulled away that her restless expression melted away into one of serenity which gave me hope that somewhere in deep in the recesses of her heart and mind Danielle still remembered how much I treasured and loved her.

"I'll avenge you my love, I swear it," I promised darkly as I slowly rose, the staff gripped tightly in both hands just as my final duplicate returned and I absorbed its memories; much like I had with the other two to prevent myself from getting too bad of a headache from the sudden influx of new information. But now I knew where my target was locked up and I had plans to use the very object Freakshow coveted to utterly destroy him.


	28. Vengeance

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning! Character torture and a death scene ahead along with a brief mention of drugs and kind-of-sort-of rape through possession._** You all probably knew this was coming as far as Freakshow is concerned but I've never done anything like this before nor planned to so just be aware of that because I'm usually against using any of that even for a story like this. I know this is an AU, but the only reason I'm going through with the _'character death'_ part is because this particular version of Freakshow messed Dani up pretty badly and what he did was more or less the straw that broke the camel's back. Also, if you didn't catch the hint in the last chapter, Lydia physically abused her too which left its mark on Dani as well. True, the Freakshow encounter didn't last any longer than it did in the show like I was planning, as in I was going to have a whole _'Vlad mounts a huge rescue mission after Danielle suddenly goes mysteriously missing for weeks'_ sequence, however, I think it's actually better this way. It lets me show off that Vlad, while he does care about Danielle very much and would do anything for her, that's not always a good thing and he has over 20 years worth of evil plotting, blackmailing, vengeance and so on to get over using as his first resort, not last.

* * *

**Chapter 28:** Vengeance

* * *

Vlad's POV

To some degree, I was actually grateful for the fact that this town didn't know how to protect themselves from ghostly sabotage and infiltration because it was child's play to shut down the security camera's in the Amity Park Penitentiary and overshadow the right people so I could proceed to _'interrogate'_ Freakshow completely undetected. And seeing as he was human and therefore could not sense ghosts, Freakshow was oblivious to my presence both inside the guards and eagerly awaiting him in the interrogation room, invisibly flexing my fingers around his coveted staff while resisting the urge to snap it in half this very moment...

I wanted to make this all the sweeter by convincing his former victims to assist me with getting vengeance on their former master, but as expected they were quick to vacate the premise to avoid falling under the staff's control again after just barely regaining their freedom. Not that I could blame them since I WAS going to use the staff to control them if they didn't agree to my plans just long enough to pin Freakshow's murder on them instead of my ghostly persona as Plasmius. I did, however, track down the female ghost I assume was actually his second in command who didn't need the staff to be controlled. In fact, as soon as she saw the staff in my hands she grew violent and tried to attack me.

That was very foolish on her part since it confirmed my suspicions that this particular ghost was the one who had left those marks on Danielle's skin, the one who physically hurt her. As such, I showed her no mercy. I poured all of my hate and malice into the staff and once it took control of her I set her core ablaze with unspeakable agony. A shame she was mute so I couldn't hear her screams but it was satisfying watching this ghost writhe on the ground, every inch of her green skin glowing with a fiery red aura, including the outlines of each and every tattoo carved into it.

I said this before that I was normally opposed to such violence being used against any female, ghost or otherwise, but since she harmed Danielle this was the least she deserved. I didn't have to literally destroy this ghost, but I could shatter her spirit as a message to others that I was NOT joking around. Because the next ghost that so much as looked at Danielle wrong would find themselves begging not to be torn apart limb from limb. Of course, that was still only in the event that Danielle faced an opponent she couldn't handle herself because even I knew that despite feeling that overprotective of her it was unreasonable and unrealistic to track down every ghost who has ever injured her in order to beat some sense into them.

Either way, once I finished torturing her into submission I left that tattooed ghost curled up in a fetal position, her fingers twitching jerkily from suffering such agony through the staff's power. I stared down at her coldly, feeling not even the slightest hint of remorse, and then as if burning it into her mind like a brand I ordered her not to interfere with my plans and that once she could fly again she was to flee to the Ghost Zone and never return. I'm sure the suggestion would fade from her mind once I broke the staff of course but this would keep her from trying to save her beloved master from my wrath...

Ideally, I was hoping the body memory of the torture I subjected her to would more than suffice to quell any foolish notions of coming after me or Danielle to avenge Freakshow's death. As more of a last-minute idea, I ripped the red cloak off of her to bring with me as proof that I knew exactly who Freakshow was and I was serious about getting even with him after he attempted to steal something precious from me. I'm sure hearing this would confuse the man but it was true. Danielle was by far, the most precious thing I owned. Her heart anyway.

Still, if not for the efforts of Danielle's friends to save her from his control and the fact that she finally reached out to me for help in her time of need with more than just homework by giving me a call, Freakshow may have very well succeeded in kidnapping her and I wouldn't have caught wind of it until it was much too late to stop them from getting away. I would still find them and stop them of course but that would have meant she'd have been exposed to his abuse for much longer and worse...if Freakshow had decided to go ahead and have sex with Danielle-

I shook my head, knowing it was too dangerous to even think about that since it would make me act rashly and just snap the man's neck to be done with it. Because like I had with that tattooed ghost, whose name I never quite uncovered, I wanted to savor this moment. I wanted to see all the color drain from his already pasty face as the reality of his impending doom sank in and Freakshow realized there was no escape.

He was, as of now, on death row.

* * *

"Now gentlemen, can't we be reasonable about this?" I heard Freakshow attempt to argue charmingly to the two guards I had overshadowed who were bringing him to me after rudely dragging him out of his cell. "I've already told you everything I know about those ghosts and the staff but it's gone now anyway so I'm as weak and powerless as the rest of you. Surely there's no need to be so rough. I bruise easily you see and have no stomach for violence."

_Could have fooled me given how you tried to murder two teenagers, one of them you even made TWO attempts to kill recently, and then you proceeded to trap countless concerned parents, news reporters, and police officers in a large tent and set one of your ghostly minions loose on a crowd of innocent bystanders who you knew damn well couldn't fight back, _I thought venomously to myself, disgusted by the fact that he was still trying to play innocent as if his crimes only included theft.

I took the liberty of checking his criminal records and Freakshow had a rap sheet a mile long that contained everything from pretty theft to as I feared...predatory tenancies with young girls. In fact, I was shocked to find that the tattooed ghost I tortured earlier was, in fact, the ghost of Freakshow's former girlfriend named Lydia Thomas who died of cancer when she was 17 but by then he was nearly 25 and they'd been dating for about three years prior to that.

However, after she passed it turned out that he did, in fact, have a record of seducing other young girls over the years each time his circus rolled into town. But the thing is that they never came forward about it so no charges were pressed because most of them could only remember talking to him before their memories became hazy and it was dismissed as them partaking in something they shouldn't have been anyway seeing as each and every one of them was a troubled teen with a record of their own in most cases. Sadly I had a feeling Lydia had something to do with their hazy memories because maybe at first Freakshow must have terribly missed having a...relationship with her and so he used those poor girls as an outlet so she could possess them while they made love to each other just like old times.

I'm just glad that Freakshow never discovered that Danielle was half-human and used her in a similar fashion now that he could get away with it since it looked like there hadn't been another incident over the course of the last few years. My guess is that he'd either been forced to stop or simply grew tired of the hassle of seducing girls just so Lydia could have a body he felt comfortable having sex with. Besides which, Freakshow was probably more interested in the stealing once the robberies started in earnest anyway. They started small with shoplifting as a teenager and as an adult here and there but then it suddenly changed when I assume he inherited this staff after his parents retired before passing away a few years later and that's when Freakshow discovered a new profitable use for his ghostly performers that involved far less effort on his part.

Regardless, the fact that there have been robberies linked to every town he's visited with his circus that couldn't be tied to him and the fact that there was at least some record of his misdeeds it was entirely possible that Freakshow HAS murdered before. In fact, he may very well have murdered his parents for all I know to inherit that staff from them since they were the former ringleaders of Circus Gothica before him. It was a bit of a stretch I'll admit but not entirely outside of the realm of possibility.

If I had to hazard a guess, the theft started out as his way of drawing their attention away from the ghost performers they controlled and treated like loyal pets they had trained for years when in reality they were no more innocent than Freakshow was controlling them at all using the power of that staff so they were still trapped against their will and likely probably have been for as long as their family has owned that relic. But that was all about to change tonight because I was about to end the cycle forever so that Danielle would be their family's final victim...

Shoving Freakshow into the chair at the table and strapping him in, the _'guards' _left without another word and Freakshow seemed confused at first. Was someone else coming to interrogate him now? In a way he was correct in that assumption; however...this was all off record and thanks to how well I could cover my tracks thanks to having my OWN powers, not to mention billions of dollars and resources at my disposal, by the time we were done here not only would his legacy be ruined but he would die knowing his mistakes had finally caught up to him and he bit off more than he could chew this time.

It was hardly the time for this but given how we were already here I might as well get some valuable information out of him regarding this staff and any other artifacts he might have stored away that belonged to his family. All I had to do was play his tune and trick him into thinking he would soon be off the hook since I could _'control'_ ghosts too. I would show him the perfect example of what using ghost powers properly could lead to and then...crush him with the truth so Freakshow's face would be frozen in fear and shock once the light left his eyes as he met his own end at the hand of a ghost, a halfa in fact.

Using a similar tactic I've used countless times, I phased through the wall to switch places so my duplicate was holding the staff in ghost form while I, on the other hand, assumed human form again and strolled right into the interrogation room acting like I owned the place. Given what a small town hack Freakshow was I doubt he's even heard of me. He could tell I looked important though so a knowing smile curled up on his lips as Freakshow crossed his legs, assuming he had something I wanted badly enough to strike a bargain with him and his eyes shimmered greedily. Amateur, the poor fool didn't even know how to conceal his reaction to seeing me as any poker player would know...

Sitting down opposite from him, I, on the other hand, was flawless in my delivery of keeping my features carefully blank but allowing just enough curiosity to show to grab his attention because people like him LOVE talking about themselves. Especially when they think they're holding all the answers and cards in their hand. Make no mistake though, being within inches of this disgusting bottom feeder made me feel dirty already even being in the same room but I didn't let it show. I didn't want to alert him to my real purpose here before getting him to lower his guard so he'd give me what I wanted before I ended his miserable existence.

"So I take it you're the one they call_ 'Freakshow?'_" I asked, sitting perfectly still whereas he was sitting slouched while bobbing his foot up and down in a childish manner.

"In the flesh! Because yes, unlike my underlings I'm still a living breathing meat sack like the rest of you losers," he cackled.

I nodded, smirking, "Yes, so I've heard. Speaking of which that's why I'm here. I'm-"

"What? No proper introduction? That's awfully rude you know. Usually, people exchange names before striking up deals wouldn't you agree? I can only assume you're here to ask about my staff just like the Guys in White were earlier. You with them?" Freakshow asked and this time I openly frowned.

"Well if you'd let me finish I was about to introduce myself but first of all, no, I am not here with the Guys in White. I'm here because of a more...personal venture. You see, I'm quite the collector of ghost-related artifacts myself and I was wondering if you would be willing to trade information about any you have or might know about in exchange for my help setting you free?" I offered, smiling internally thinking that the only freedom he'd be finding was freedom from that _'meat sack' _body of his once I killed him.

Licking his lips Freakshow clapped his hands together as best he could with the handcuffs on and beamed, "But of course! I should have guessed you were a fan of the occult from how much eyeliner you're wearing! What do you wish to know Mr...?"

"Masters. Vlad Masters," I told him dismissively.

Shaking his head and blinking, Freakshow looked stunned and asked, "Wait wait wait, are we talking about the billionaire Vlad Masters? I've heard about you, my parents told me once that they sold some ancient ghost relic book to you but it wasn't the one you wanted which was the one containing our family history. Is that what you're here for now?"

Now that he said that it DID ring a bell that years ago I began searching for a reliable source of information on ghosts and had been reduced to researching specialty stores across the country. Eventually, I was directed to a small house in the suburbs located in an equally small town in Massachusetts where I met an old couple who was happy to part with at least a few of their antique books and one of them turned out to have what I was looking for at the time. That was so long ago that it never even crossed my mind that they might be-

After taking a moment to recollect my thoughts and composure I finally responded, "That among other things if possible. But first, I'm VERY interested in that staff you used to control the ghosts who robbed those banks for you. It was a foolish idea to strike so many places at once. Not to mention you targeted the local ghost fighting hero Dani Phantom who has quite the reputation as it is so using her to assist in the robberies inevitably drew too much attention to yourself. And THAT, I'm afraid, is why your recent plans of conquest to gain more wealth were doomed to fail spectacularly from the start. Subtly and patience is key, Frederich Isak Showenhower, as you will soon learn..."

"I see someone's done their homework," Freakshow glowered, hating to hear me make full use of his real name as he raised an eyebrow. Then with a disinterested shrug, he said, "Anyways sure, why not? If you can get me out of here you can have whatever you want rich boy."

* * *

Seemingly satisfied by my answer I begrudgingly listened as Freakshow dramatically went into detail about his family history of _'training and controlling ghosts'_ with a hint of envy in his voice that was unmistakable, even some bitterness regarding his parents. It was all very typical for someone like him who was all about _'sticking it to the man'_ as the kids say acting as a literal ringleader to antisocial teenagers and other goths who supported his views. His parents clearly ignored their son in favor of controlling their ghosts but it looks like must have at least taught him their secrets and gave him advice on how to implement the staff's powers. Not that it was very hard mind you...

Once I felt like I had taken everything I could from him, I stood from my chair and smiled, "Thank you for the information Freakshow. I believe we're done here..."

Glaring at me he held out his hands and gestured at the cuffs at his wrists and huffed, "Um hello? We had a deal remember? What about my freedom?" Nodding in the direction of my duplicate who then revealed themselves holding his staff, I smirked upon seeing his shocked expression as Freakshow blubbered, "My staff! How did you-? Where was it? And how are you controlling that ghost without it?"

While my duplicate reached over to phase off the cuffs around his wrists and legs in one swift motion, I replied coldly, "I have my ways. As for this, as it so happens I found it among some of the other things you've stolen and one of them belonged to me so I'll be taking this as payment I'm afraid. You won't be needing it where you're going."

"Payment? Now wait just a moment, let's not be hasty! I don't recall stealing anything from someone as powerful as you, even I'm not THAT insane!" Freakshow laughed nervously, eyeing his staff as if looking for an opening to steal it back.

Wringing his hands together Freakshow continued, "Feel free to take back any goods I wrongfully took from you with no hard feelings since I didn't know any better. I suppose it's possible that you owned one of those banks I've robbed but still! At any rate, if you'll just give me my staff back I'll be on my way and you'll never have to see me again unless you happen to come to visit me at my circus again. I can always get more gold and jewels and once I've reclaimed my minions I'll start over again in a few years under a new name. Perhaps one day we could even work together because I know secrets about ghosts you can't possibly imagine and with all your power an wealth we'd be an unstoppable force!"

Commanding my duplicate to hold his chin up using the staff, I narrowed my gaze and warned, "Do you honestly think I'll be that easy to fool? I'm not a simpleton like the rest of the idiots in this town. I've been playing this game much longer than you and I've read your records. The truth of the matter is that even if I agreed to such madness, you'd look for the first opportunity to stab me in the back! As for what you stole from me, it's not an object, in fact, it's far more precious to me than any material item I possess. And I do not take kindly to those who attempt to steal from or deceive me. Most barely survive their first attempt to oppose me either literally or manage to crawl away with their sanity intact. I rarely settle for only giving out warnings to crush such idiotic notions that they stand a chance against me. I strike without warning, my retribution swift and decisive unless someone really stepped out of line and I decided to take my time toying with them before teaching them a lesson they'll never forget. You should be grateful I didn't simply take what I want through force, leaving you here to rot. This isn't a game, Freakshow. And even if it was you lost before we even set the board."

Laughing hysterically, Freakshow clapped his hands together gleefully, smirked, and said, "Ooo goodie, I love games! Speaking of which, it looks like the joke's on you rich boy!"

Yanking the staff from my duplicate's hand with a slight of hand that normally would have impressed me if I hadn't allowed him to take it from me since it was all part of my plan, Freakshow twirled it a few times before pointing it at the only ghost in the room and ordered, "You may be rich and powerful and have some way to control ghosts too that I don't know, but this staff has been in my family for generations and has the power to enthrall any ghost! It was brief, but I even managed to control Dani Phantom herself! Therefore your little bodyguard stands no chance against me! I always have a trick or two up my sleeve like any good magician!"

Resting my hands behind my back, undeterred, I challenged, "Do you think it's wise making an enemy out of me? You do realize I'm the richest man in the world and have the power and resources to wipe you off the face of the Earth while leaving your family in disgrace, don't you?"

"Well you know us circus folk, we live for danger and the thrill of living on the edge of a knife or high atop the tight rope! It comes with the territory. But you're right, I'd rather not make an enemy of you. The truth is that I just wanted my staff back, and a friendly gesture you can have your guard dog back once I've escaped this backwater town so I can make plans to regain control of the ghost girl. I'm sure she's eagerly looking forward to an encore of serving me!" Backing away, he turned to my duplicate and ordered, "Now then, it's been pleasant doing business you, but I think I'll be taking my leave. Drone! I order you to get me out of here and take me to Lydia! She should be waiting at the Ron-de-Vu point we set up in case plans changed."

The look on Freakshow's face was priceless when I dismissed my duplicate and it vanished before his eyes which threw any plans of escape out the window. Because not only had it not followed his orders, but it laughed at him before dissipating into nothingness. That's when I pulled out the red cloak I took from that ghost and threw it at his feet. I might as well have shown him her mangled remains because his face turned stark white with fear once Freakshow realize he'd been outmatched.

"I told you before, Freakshow-" I hissed in a low menacing tone, "-that this isn't a game, did I not? I've cut off every exit, erased every possible way to trace our encounter, isolated you from anyone who might have been able to stop me which there are none anyway, and most of all I've figured out the way you think long before we ever spoke to one another. I know what you've done, I know who you're in contact with, and I know it was YOU who did this to my little badger and you're going to pay dearly for that. It takes more than flattery and sleight of hand to get the jump on Vlad Masters! Or better yet-"

Encasing his staff with ecto-energy, I ripped it from his grasp and pulled it back towards me, grabbed it, then transformed into the very same ghost he thought was only an underling of mine. Terrified now Freakshow backed against the wall and exclaimed, "What?! What on earth ARE you?! Guards! Guards help! There's a ghost attacking mfffmh!"

Rushing forward with inhuman speed, I clamped one gloved hand tightly around his jaw and sneered, "It's no use calling for help. No one can hear you, and no one can stop me. As for what I am, I am the first of my kind and Danielle, otherwise known as Dani Phantom to you, is my lover and you made a HUGE mistake laying your filthy hands on her. Do you want to know why she was able to resist you even slightly when no other ghost ever has before? It's because she's only half-ghost. We both are. Obviously, I'm more powerful than her at present but someday that will change and when that day comes scum like you will NEVER be able to hurt her ever again."

Struggling uselessly against my monstrous grip, Freakshow's eyes began to bulge as I applied pressure to his jaw, feeling the bones start to crack beneath my fingers, then I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "This is what happens to those who invoke my unbridled wrath. You want your staff back so badly? Then here...take it!"

Pulling back, I flipped the staff so that the pointed edge was facing him and before Freakshow could recover from the shock and the soreness from the death grip I had on his jaw, with one strangely elegant motion I drove it clean through his chest, impaling him and pinning him to the wall like a butterfly in a display case. He stared down at it in shock as blood poured out of the wound and formed a puddle at his feet before some of it bubbled out of his mouth and trickled down his chin. And then, to my astonishment Freakshow started to laugh weakly in the face of death before going limp as the life slowly left his eyes. To my growing surprise, even the orb's swirling red luster faded along with his lifeforce which told me that it really was tied to blood magic, as in the staff had been MADE by his family and with him gone it lost its power.

It would have been a different story if I simply shattered the orb because even in pieces it likely would have retained its power so things really were better for her this way. Now that Freakshow was dead he could no longer come after Danielle or enslave any other ghost ever again, not that I cared about any of them aside from her. Just as an added safety measure though, I slowly backed away and shot a ray of ecto-energy from my eyes to shatter the orb once I was certain that it had been completely drained of power once the bloodline of the ones who made it died with it's last surviving heir. And I could only hope that this would be enough to lift the spell on my sleeping princess back home...


	29. Stillness

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Sorry in advance that this one is so dialogue-heavy with quotes from previous chapters, but I'm trying to recap bits and pieces of the story so far as Danielle's memories slowly start trickling back to her. Especially the ones about Vlad since he's become such a big part of her life. Also on a side note to those who celebrate it, happy belated 4th of July!

* * *

**Chapter 29:** Stillness

(Chapter inspired by Carnival of Rust by Poets of the Fall)

* * *

Danielle's POV

Bolting upright, I cried out after seeing the horrifying image of a man with a strangely familiar bat-shaped scepter protruding from his chest where the only color I could see was red as the light vanished from the shattered orb at the top and his eyes as his blood began staining the ground crimson at his feet. It didn't last long, but seeing something like that was enough to leave me breathless, trembling, and covered in goosebumps. I must have instinctively transformed into my ghost form too when I felt this terrible hatred towards the person in front of me from a hostile presence in my dream...

It frightened me.

Once I calmed down a bit though I noticed that I felt lighter somehow, more aware of myself, which should have felt comforting since that oppressive red fog in my mind was gone now but it wasn't. I could still only remember bits and pieces of my life and that was enough to tell me this wasn't my room at least. As for the rest, it was all just vague impressions of who I was, blurred images of faces and places I couldn't recognize just yet, and the distant memories of a familiar scent, a touch, or an emotion.

I felt like things were slowly starting to come back to me, but when it started to happen too fast I retreated from the memory and blocked it out because it was too painful to remember. And the thing I remembered feeling the most, at least right now, was how alone I was. It felt like no one I knew really understood me. They cared about me, that's true, but no one really understood or knew the real me except for one person. For some reason, their face was the clearest to me and I could at least make out a head of long sterling silver hair and dark cobalt blue eyes. So I clung to that solitary memory like a lifeline because it was the only thing that didn't hurt as much to remember. In fact, the thought of him was very comforting and I had this indescribable yearning to see him, whoever he was, and not being able to only reminded me how alone I was.

It didn't help that I had no idea where I was or how I got there either since the room I was in now felt too big, too empty. The air here was so...lifeless and stale; like there was no indication that anyone actually lived here and it smelled too new and stuffy. It was sort of like being in a hotel room that had just been cleaned after erasing all traces of the other people who might have been there before you. I briefly considered opening the window to let in some fresh air but I didn't want to move, so I kept my head down and peered up at the door, expecting that ghost from before who saved me to come visit me again before too long...

I could remember that much at least, and almost like déjà vu, I had the distinct impression that this wasn't the first time I've been in a situation like this with him. That's when I flinched as blurred images of my past that were similar to old film reels appeared before my eyes and I saw myself being carried in his arms, my face covered in scratches and small scrapes and my hair disheveled. He smiled at me with this oddly ravenous look in his eyes which made a similar memory of that man I saw with the staff appear, only he was laughing after walking in on this ghost with a long red cape pulling on my hair as she dug her boot into my back trying to rip off this ornate tiara that had gotten stuck in it.

"_Tsk tsk, Lydia, now that's not very nice! And you wonder why you don't have any friends. Sorry about her my pet, she gets terribly jealous these days and it makes her especially violent towards pretty little morsel's like you." _Glaring at Lydia though he gestured at her with his staff and warned, _"See that this doesn't happen again. I can't have you breaking this one too like the last one. Besides if anyone is going to punish my minions for disobedience it is me, not you. Don't forget, I'M the one in charge now and I was the one who decided to play dress-up with our newest doll. She wasn't exerting free will so relax. Maybe if you two can learn to play nice we'll do something 'fun' later..."_

I shuttered at the implied meaning of those words and rubbed my arms, suddenly feeling too exposed now, vulnerable. And the fact that I was wearing a simple white nightgown that barely reached halfway down my thighs didn't help either as my skin crawled at the idea of that creep touching me. Floating out of bed, I let the blanket slide off of me and touched down in one of the far corners of the room, my back to the wall, and staring at my unfamiliar surroundings as I curled my knees close to my chest.

I don't know how long I sat like that, my glowing white hair casting shadows as it floated gently around my face, but I still felt more comfortable in this form at the moment because my natural ghostly glow made the darkness seem less menacing. For some reason, I felt much better knowing that I was the one chasing it away with my own light, my power, without having to rely on anyone else to comfort me. I used to be something more than this once, someone stronger than this, or at least I was more confident back then. But because of all this confusion, among other things I was having a hard time remembering, this situation I was currently in made me question if I was STILL worth a damn the way I was right now as an empty shell of the girl I used to be who even back then had her own share of problems...

"_That's no excuse for her behavior, Vlad. If that really were the case then it sounds like more of a time management issue. I agree that she should make sure to get plenty of sleep, but if studying with her friends isn't helping or they're just goofing off otherwise then maybe Danielle should consider asking someone to be her tutor. Jason already offered to do that for her and she refused." _I suddenly recalled hearing my mother, or who I could only assume was her, argue with someone.

Then I heard my own voice as I all but screamed at something my dad said in response, _"I'm only human dad! I can't be expected to do everything around the house and study at the same time! Besides, when's the last time you guys made Jason do any chores huh? Oh, that's right, never! Because he's the prodigal son and needs all the free time to do whatever he wants like it's some given right for being smarter than me!"_

Shortly after I saw myself being held in Vlad's arms as I muttered hopelessly with a dead-pan stare, _"It doesn't matter anymore...I always come in second, it's been that way my whole life so what difference does it make now? My parents clearly don't care what I want. And even if you do its...it's all the same...I'm never going to be good enough." _

Rocking me gently as I whimpered, Vlad argued mildly in a soft hushed tone, _"Shh, don't say such things because you're wrong my dear, my feelings for you are stronger and more real than anything I felt for your mother. You are a very clever, benevolent, honorable, compelling, capable, and earnest young woman of unimaginable promise that has been taken for granted for too long. But I can help you tap into that potential and show you a world beyond your wildest dreams. You deserve that and much more..."_

So, wait...did that mean that Vlad and I were in a relationship? But what did he have to do with that ghost who- "Oh...that's right..." I blinked gripping my head as I closed my eyes and hid my face between my knees, "He's just like me, half-ghost. I found out about it the day after we met. My parents did something that made him like that and I...what did I do to become like this? Wasn't it also because of a portal leading to some parallel world where most ghosts came from...?"

Curling up tighter I remembered a bright green flash before every inch of my body endured wave after wave of excruciating pain before I managed to blindly stagger out of the portal and collapsed onto my hands and knees. I heard two people who sounded about my age call out my name, which was apparently Danielle or Dani for short, but I couldn't make out their faces clearly. All I know is that after that my life was never the same. As hard as it was before that point it became almost unbearable.

I endured all of it in silence, alone, until I met Vlad. Maybe that's why I felt such a strong connection to him and comforted by his presence. That's when a more vivid memory suddenly rushed back to me as I called Vlad's number on a phone and tried to ask for help. Help with what I wasn't sure about except for the fact that it had something to do with that man with the staff. A man that I had a horrible feeling was dead now. I couldn't say for sure why I felt that was the case, but it was like whatever connected me to the power of that staff allowed me to see his final moments...

Or at least the end result.

Either way, given what I remembered about that guy he was probably asking for it but at the same time I was horrified by the sight of it and it left me feeling deeply disturbed. Who could have done that to him? Did _I_ do it and I just couldn't remember? Is that why I was afraid to remember most of my past? Or did that other ghost I saw earlier do it to get back at him for stopping her from tearing me apart...? All I knew for sure was that whatever happened, it was bad, very very bad, and I was more afraid of finding out the truth about that then the truth about who I was supposed to be.

* * *

Vlad's POV

If I'm being honest with myself, enacting my revenge on Freakshow didn't erase the anger I felt towards him. I had wanted to do far more to him than I did before unleashing the fatal blow but this would have to suffice. The important thing to remember here was that I removed a serious threat, someone who was capable of making Danielle do horrendous things she would never willingly do...

Knowing his type, it wouldn't have been long before Freakshow DID order her to maim or kill someone and it would have destroyed her if she remembered doing it with her own two hands. As a half-ghost she had SOME resilience to the staff's power, which is how her friends managed to break through to her at all, however, his hold over Danielle's mind went deeper than I could have imagined if it could still damage her psyche this badly despite escaping its mesmerizing influence. Therefore I had a feeling some part of her would remember being ordered to do something so heartless and evil.

That's why I would be the one who made the hard decisions for her and the one who got blood on his hands by removing someone like him who posed such a serious threat to my beloved Danielle's life and her heart. I knew from the moment I met Danielle that she was too good for this world, too innocent. And sadly life has a way of snuffing out even the faintest glimmers of light in the darkness. I should know because I embraced the darkness once Jack stole the heart of the woman who I planned to steal back since it felt like she was the only woman who could light my way again and filled a void that no one else could. That is until I met her daughter and fell in love with her.

Yes, it all started out as an even deeper fixation on Danielle than it had ever been with Maddie, but then it quickly grew into something far grander and meaningful the moment I realized that Danielle was the one who needed to be saved, not me. This time was no different. Up until now I didn't care about anyone except for Maddie and I wanted to get to know her children so I could love them too but now, Danielle alone encompassed my entire world. The lengths I've gone to for her sake even took me aback at times, especially given how this was my first actual murder...

I've destroyed plenty of lives already, don't get me wrong, but never in a literal sense unless you count a few ghosts who had it coming who dared threaten me and made an enemy of Vlad Plasmius. After that most ghosts learned their lesson and spread the word that I wasn't someone to be trifled with and for the most part I was left alone. Well, aside from people in the business world trying to worm their way to the top, hoping to knock me off my pedestal. And if they fell trying to climb up that high without a safety net, it wasn't my fault if they lost their footing and plummeted back to the bottom.

The only human being that I seriously considered killing many times over even just to help me sleep better at night was Jack Fenton. But again I knew I couldn't be petty about how I went about it if I wanted to keep Maddie and convince her I would be there for her and her children from now on in her time of need as a widow. To me, it was far more satisfying to leave him alive knowing he'd lost everything and finally saw himself for the fool that he was.

To my surprise though even those feelings have changed because as much I still detested the man and was bitter about what he stole from me and how he destroyed my life, it wasn't as intense as before because I had something better to turn my undivided attention to which was leading his daughter into temptation so that she would fall madly in love with me too. And before long, without too much effort on my part, Danielle would see them for the selfish people they were and would willingly abandon her family to come to be with me, finally seeing for herself that they didn't deserve her protection. I suppose Jason was an exception to the rule, but according to the young man himself and his sister, he only stuck around to look after her anyway and was just as eager to escape from under their parent's shadow as Danielle.

I suppose this meant that I was like her silent protector lurking in the shadows, watching over and safeguarding Danielle to the point where I was willing to kill in order to keep her safe. I knew there was no going back once I decided how badly I wanted her but this, it made me wonder if maybe I went too far. Not that Freakshow didn't deserve his fate, but maybe I should have left him alive so he would be stuck there completely powerless as I destroyed the ghost of his girlfriend Lydia instead as payback for him hurting my lover since that's the one who actually marred Danielle's skin after lashing out in a fit of jealousy after Freakshow adorned her with stolen jewels just to gloat about successfully capturing his newest pawn.

It was too late now to regret my actions, which I didn't, but it did make me wonder if Danielle would see me differently after this if she knew. I wasn't planning on telling her the truth about this by any means, however, it was something to consider. As I said to Freakshow shortly before his demise, I masterfully covered my tracks and left no trace of my presence in either a human or ghostly capacity anywhere near the crime scene.

For one thing, I left no fingerprints and even if they found a stray hair of mine, no DNA test normal or otherwise could decipher anything of an ectoplasmic nature so it wouldn't even appear human. The same applies to Lydia's cloak which I purposefully left there to imply that maybe it was a lover's suicide and she killed him before evaporating herself so they could be together again in hell or whatever purgatory existence awaited them. Aside from that, even if they fled those other ghosts would be more likely to be pinned with the murder than some random ghost who had no connection to the ghost-controlling ringleader...

The point is unless I said otherwise, Danielle nor anyone else had any reason to suspect me of the crime of killing Freakshow. What's more, until I actually spoke to Danielle again there was no way of know how much of her memories have returned or even would regarding this incident as a whole. From what I could tell she was overcompensating for the trauma she went through by subconsciously blocking EVERYTHING out, not just what Freakshow himself did to her. Either way, now it was time to assess the damages before making my next move.

More importantly, I needed to see that Danielle was alright because even though she wasn't physically in danger anymore, I was almost afraid of losing her forever to the shadows of forgetfulness. I would always be there for her regardless, but the thought of losing the woman I loved again...terrified even me. If Danielle never recovered from this, I would not risk losing her again. Not for a third time since not only has Danielle run from me twice, but the second time this happened she was ruthlessly attacked by a mob of ghostly abominations in the forests of the Colorado Rockies...

And now, this Freakshow nearly enslaved her and I was blissfully unaware of his plans for her because I didn't have the foresight to look into the background of that circus beforehand to make sure there wasn't something to Jack and Maddie's suspicions of ghost involvement after all which I usually dismissed since they more often than not saw ghosts where there were none while looking for an excuse to test out their latest gadget on some hapless ghost who may or may not actually pose a threat to their town.

That's why, even if it meant I had to keep her in a guided cage after all from this moment forth to prevent such a tragedy from befalling my beloved ever again, I was willing to go that far if I had to. I could only hope that it wouldn't have to come to that because I trusted Danielle and knew that deep down she was strong enough to reclaim the light that Freakshow nearly corrupted, turning her whole world red like the petals of the roses he ensnared her in, their thorns cutting into her skin and poisoning her mind. And if not, I would carry her softly down into the darkness along with me so at least that way...

...neither of us would have to be alone anymore.


	30. Echoes

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: ** In response to one of the last reviews yeah, I did know about the whole Vlad Tepes/ The Impaler so the way Freakshow met his end was strangely poetic. Also, fun fact but the original concept for Vlad Masters was that he was going to be a vampire in the show, likely disguised as a rich human just like many vampires tend to be, not half-ghost but they scrapped the idea since it'd be _'too violent'_ for a kids show but when you think about it some story elements are already pretty dark as it is if you look at it more closely. So it's funny you should mention that because I've been trying to hint at a dark seductive theme with Vlad and this story in general from the start which has a very _'vampire stalks human girl and is actually really dangerous to be with'_ sort of vibe.

**P.S.** Also to the guest _"Freegirl333," _sadly things got a bit hectic at home, I had a bit of writer's block, and then I twisted my hip or something the other day but I'm alright now. Thanks for your concern though! It's appreciated! One more thing, I got the email showing me that you left a review and it's listed in the review number but for some reason, I can't see it anywhere on-site. That's why if you do have an account here it might be a good idea to login to avoid any issues like this. But I'm saying that for your sake, not mine!

* * *

**Chapter 30:** Echoes

(Chapter inspired by Snow White Queen by Evanescence)

* * *

Danielle's POV

While sitting there in that small corner for who knows how long staring blankly at the floor, I wasn't sure whether I should feel relieved that I remembered a bit more about who I was or worried that there was still so much I couldn't remember. After a while, I decided I was better off focusing on the positive things instead and I made myself get back up so I could take a look around. It was too daunting to dwell on the things I've forgotten about and there was no point in worrying about trying to remember everything else right away. It would come back to me eventually, I just needed to give it some time.

I DID need to find out what happened to cause my amnesia though...

Straightening out my nightgown and pulling it further down to cover my legs I sighed because it looked like I was stuck wearing something that wasn't anything like what I'd normally wear. It was way too stereotypical and feminine. So, ok, that felt more like how I used to think. I didn't like feeling like I was dressing like every other teenage girl showing off their curves or like I was exposing too much skin like they did while looking for the wrong kind of attention from boys. Got it. Still, I really wished I could find something else to wear, but at the same time I knew there was no point in complaining since whatever I'd been wearing before was probably still wet and filthy after being thrown downriver then traipsing around the woods in a daze; so at least this nightgown I was wearing was clean.

I was relieved to find the door to the room unlocked and I stepped out barefoot into the hallway, looking down both sides and calling out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

No one answered me, but in the background, I could hear the gentle patter of rain outside which was an oddly reassuring sound. Or maybe I only felt comforted by it because it was something to fill the silence. It was dark too since there weren't many lights were on but that didn't bother me since I could still see just fine.

Treading lightly I made my way down the hall, not noticing when the bandage on my leg slipped loose but I hardly needed it anymore. The wound was shallow and my ghost powers took care of it pretty quickly. I was a bit hungry though so that's another reason why I left the room. The other reason was because I was looking for Vlad. I remembered calling him for help and knew he was half-ghost and the one with the silver hair in human form so I had to be inside of a house or a mansion he owned.

It was so empty here though. Was he renovating it? And where...was this place anyway? I gasped when the hallway darkened and I heard insane laughter, but it wasn't Vlad's. Could this be another memory? If so it wasn't one I wanted to remember, especially not when I felt a hand brush back my hair and whispered, _"Going somewhere my pet?" _

Jerking away from the voice, I whirled around, hands glowing green with ectoplasmic energy as the laughter continued, sounding like it was echoing in the distance. My heart was racing because I didn't know if this was an actual enemy, or a memory tormenting me like some twisted waking nightmare. The voice was too clear to be something I was imagining, but at the same time, it was more like it was in my head and not audible to anyone else. Regardless, it put me on edge and I walked forward slowly, eyes surveying my surroundings waiting for this ghost to strike.

My ghost sense hadn't gone off but there was definitely SOMETHING in here with me, I could feel it. But it was clearly something much darker than a ghost. Or maybe it was too _'new'_ and hadn't fully formed yet so it had just enough power to manifest but not fully take on a form yet. I wasn't really sure how this worked but either way, I was seriously getting creeped out. His laughter was in my head and I felt his fingers ghosting across my bare shoulders just to see me flinch away, resisting the urge to blindly begin shooting ghost rays all over the place hoping it would hit him somehow.

"Who are you!? What do you want with me?" I demanded, getting sick of them messing with me invisibly.

In response, the disembodied voice replied thoughtfully, _"You don't remember me? How disappointing. And here I thought I'd leave a bigger impression on you than THAT. At any rate, hmm, let me think. Sadly I'm still getting used to it, but it turns out it's not as hard as I thought to become a ghost. You just have to get someone to violently murder you then allow that anger and resentment, or passion and desire, to give you a powerful reason to stick around. Really I should be thanking rich boy since I feel much more powerful and free to do as I please this way. Or at least I will soon enough once I've taken a little something from you, my pet. Don't worry, it won't hurt much. I just need a bit of your blood since it's more powerful than a normal human's. I can use it to craft a new staff and then you'll be bound to me, forever." _

_Laughing again he cackled, "Oh he'll HATE that for sure! I'd use my own blood to do it but sadly...I'm really quite dead. The magic won't work with deadman's blood I'm afraid. Yours is different though, you're not dead...and yet, there's a power in your blood unlike anything I've encountered before and I want you to be mine now more than ever. I couldn't feel it before as a lowly human, but now I can almost smell it on you like a rich perfume. It's intoxicating. As for you, you won't escape me so easily this time. True I could control you better as a ghost, but blood magic works just as well on living victims if you know what you're doing. It just takes more time. Either way, no matter how briefly you are exposed to it, it leaves its mark on you," _I froze when I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and a gloved hand covered my eyes as he breathed directly into my ear, "_I was always taught to keep careful track of my property, and you certainly count as that and much more. To think you were more valuable than I could have imagined because you're more than just a ghost exactly as your friend said. So there's no way I'm going to let you go now, my pet."_

I tried to phase out of his grip but I-I couldn't move! Somehow he kept me rooted to the spot, helpless as he sniffed my hair and ran his other hand over my chest to hug my stomach and press his body closer to mine. I grit my teeth, trying not to let him freak me out more than he was already, but I inwardly shuttered when he whispered hotly into my ear, "_I look forward to our next meeting...Dani. We're going to have so much fun together! But for now, you might want to wake up and let lover boy know that the game is still on. And I aim to take back what I rightfully stole first."_

I screamed as a loud clap of thunder shook the air and my eyes snapped open. I was laying on the ground but I noticed there was something in my hand so fearfully I uncurled my fingers and found a small sliver of glass from a certain orb pulsing red before the light faded from it, leaving it as clear as ordinary glass. I wasn't aware that ghosts could mess with dreams. I didn't even know I'd fallen asleep but looking back, maybe I've been sleepwalking since I left my room. Either way, this was serious.

I was being...haunted by a ghost.

* * *

Feeling more shaken up by what just happened than I cared to admit, I searched around the house until I found what was likely supposed to be the master bedroom, aka Vlad's bedroom, and I walked inside of the room, hugging myself. What did that...ghost mean by all that? Who murdered him? Was it really Vlad? Did he kill that man to protect me and now he's come back for revenge?

It sure sounds like it to me which was bad news for both of us. Still, I felt incredibly dirty again after that...that freak touched me even though it wasn't real. _Wait a minute...freak? That reminds me of-! _

"Freakshow!" I suddenly exclaimed, remembering seeing him on TV and again on a billboard somewhere. That's right! He was the ringleader of Circus Gothica and he...used that red staff of his I saw in that vision in my dream to control me! But that meant this fragment in my hand really was part of it, part of the orb that Vlad shattered himself after...killing him.

"Oh my god..." I whispered, realizing what that meant. "This means that Vlad actually KILLED someone! And it's all my fault. Damn it, if I hadn't called him for help he never would have-! Shit!"

Pacing the room I tried to think about this more carefully. I knew I couldn't exactly run away from him, that didn't exactly work out for me the last two times I tried, and if Freakshow's ghost was targeting me again now then I needed some serious help. After all, he's already managed to control me once and if he's the one responsible for my memory loss too then I was probably in over my head. I might even lose my mind forever if Freakshow succeeds in making a more powerful version of that staff.

I probably had other people or ghostly allies I could turn to for help but I couldn't remember enough about my past to really know who they were. Besides, even if I did none of them knew how to go up against a ghost with mind-controlling powers, or at least enough knowledge to know how to remake one he could use to control me all over again! And if he was going to use MY blood to make it, who knows what that would do to me!

It was all just too much to process and I fell to my knees, slamming my fists onto the ground as I screamed at the top of my lungs in frustration! Why did this ALWAYS have to happen to me!? Everywhere I turned there was another problem or I was surrounded by danger on all sides, more often than not dangerous ghosts that wanted to tear me apart limb from limb. I fought them to protect people, but who did I have protecting me? A sexy billionaire that had no reservations about KILLING someone like Freakshow just for pushing me over the edge so my memories got all messed up that also tried to make some sort of living doll out of me he could dress, or undress, whenever he wanted to. On top of that, Freakshow could make me do everything from attempting to murder my own friends to walking the tight rope in front of hundreds of people without batting an eye.

That's why, in the end, I was forced to compare the two so I could decide who was the least dangerous. Vlad or Freakshow? My gut told me they were both manipulative assholes but my heart told me at least Vlad's was in the right place, twisted as it was. And frankly, Freakshow WAS the more dangerous of the two because he was willing to kill people who had nothing to do with him just to cover his tracks, meanwhile Vlad promised me once he wouldn't hurt anyone unless they hurt me...which Freakshow did.

He hurt me very deeply and sadly Freakshow was right, I could still feel a small tug at the back of my mind that tempted me to walk out of this building right now so Vlad couldn't protect me. It wasn't enough to control me obviously, but it was enough to feel it nagging at me so I'd know that Freakshow's power over me wasn't completely gone...

* * *

Vlad's POV

It took much longer to tie up the other loose ends than I thought but now all the pieces were in place and I felt like it was safe to return to Danielle's side. I would need to be careful though since it wasn't clear how much she would remember or already has now that that staff was broken since I didn't want to overwhelm her with too much information. So instead I would ask her how much she remembered first and then go from there, answering any questions she might have in regards to what happened. I would dodge certain subjects of course but otherwise, it was in my best interest to be as honest with her as possible...

Danielle hated it when I lied to her after all.

Much like the first time, I thought Danielle would probably be hungry when she woke up so I brought her something to eat from the kitchen. However, when I reached her room, the door was ajar which set off alarm bells in my head so I immediately dropped the bag and rushed inside. "Danielle!" I called, seeing no sign of her but there were no hints of a struggle aside from a blanket hanging halfway off the edge in disarray so I backed out of the room again and tried to figure out where she might have gone.

That's when I noticed a long strand of white fabric on the ground which turned out to be the bandage from her leg injury so I made my way down the hall calling her name. When she didn't respond I berated myself for not thinking this before but the reason Danielle might not be answering me is because she still didn't recognize her own name. What's more, she didn't remember much about me either which meant Danielle might be wary of me to the point that she was currently concealing herself.

That's when I extended my senses again to locate her ghost signature if she was using her powers, but that was hardly necessary when I suddenly heard her scream in a fit of rage or was it pain? Either way, I teleported straight to her only to notice she was curled up, gripping her right hand which was bleeding all over the carpet. Danielle barely even noticed me at first until I lifted her off of the floor and held out her hand to examine the wound.

Coming to her senses, Danielle stared at me wide-eyed and tried to jerk her hand away but my grip was too strong and I snapped in a harsher tone then I meant to, "Hold still! I'm trying to help."

"No, you don't understand!" Danielle exclaimed, pulling away from me even harder, "I didn't realize I was still holding the damn thing. It cut me and you need to get rid of it! He's after my blood, he wants to make a new staff to-! Oh forget it, I'll do it myself!"

With a determined glint in her eyes, I was completely taken aback when Danielle actually BIT my hand, ripped out the shard of glass in her hand and phased into the ground. I had no idea what had come over her but I immediately gave chase. I was also confused by the fact that Danielle seemed much more like her old heroic self so whatever was going on she was mostly aware of herself again. Did that mean she remembered who she was? Who I was?

Regardless, I panicked when I saw her veer in the direction of the underground lab which was the first thing I had built here and it already had a working ghost portal so was she trying to run away from me again? I had to stop her before she did something stupid so against my better judgment, I shot a warning blast past her head and told Danielle to stop. But instead of stopping she flew faster and once inside the lab Danielle scanned the room for the controls and slammed her fist on the nearest button that looked like an on and off switch, then turned to face the portal once it opened since I wasn't finished locking down the controls yet aside from the ghost shield so it would only work for me.

That's when I saw Danielle grip the shard as hard as she could and threw it at top speed into the Ghost Zone, closing the portal immediately after and collapsing to her knees, breathless. Taken aback and angry that she'd do something so foolish, I approached Danielle and asked, "What the hell was THAT all about Danielle? What were you trying to do!?"

Mustering a weak glare, Danielle replied tearfully, "I wasn't TRYING to do anything aside from getting rid of that shard before it did something weird like absorb my blood or something like Freakshow wanted. You're the one who left me alone and let that creep come after me again! I thought you were trying to protect me but you only made things worse! Now I have the ghost of an effing psychopath after me who's trying to make a new staff to control me with so he can get back at you for MURDERING HIM WITH HIS OLD ONE!"

I stared at her in disbelieve, knowing for a fact that there's no way Danielle should have known that, but regardless I had to ask, "How did you...?"

Rushing to her feet, for a second I thought Danielle was going to slap me but instead, she wrapped her arms around me, her shoulders shaking as she howled, "I'm sorry Vlad. I'm sorry I dragged you into this. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have killed anyone. This is all my fault. Please forgive me...I never should have called you."

"You...remember who I am then?" I asked tentatively, unsure whether I should hug her back or not given the situation.

She nodded mutely, stepping away from me and letting her arms drop, finally changing back to human form and cradling her injured hand to her chest. Then Danielle admitted, "I don't remember everything yet but I know who you are and...I know you were trying to help me. I just didn't want to be helped like this. And now I don't know what to do. I don't remember enough about who I am to go back to my old life, but I can't stay here knowing that you-"

Taking a deep breath, I looked at her carefully and said in an even tone, "I'm not sure how you found out that I killed Freakshow, but trust me, my dear, he deserved it. The things he's done are truly monstrous, Danielle. And had the situation not been so serious I might have allowed him to live and die in that rat hole of a prison. But he hurt you both physically and psychologically and that's not something I could forgive him for. I was afraid you might never recover once I realized you had acute amnesia. I had hoped that removing him and that staff might solve the problem but it was a risk I was willing to take since you were falling apart and something had to be done about it quickly. I never imagined he'd become a ghost so easily though..."

Lowering my gaze and covering my eyes with one hand I thought to myself, _Now that I think about it, that WOULD explain why Freakshow was laughing mere moments before his death. He actually WANTED to become a ghost; but since he couldn't figure out how without committing suicide or ordering his minions to kill him this turned out to be another way for him to obtain what he wanted, ghost powers. Freakshow wasn't expecting to die so suddenly of course, but he clearly envies ghosts so it makes sense that he still had the desire to become one. I should have realized this sooner. Danielle's right, I may have just made another grievous mistake that instead of helping has put her in even more danger than before. Oh little badger, what have I done...?_


	31. Deception

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: ** Yay, _"Freegirl333's"_ reviews finally showed up on-site! Still, don't worry, I'm really alright now so in the future if I don't update as often it's either because I'm busy, am thinking of what to do next in the story, or I'm just taking a bit more time on it since I only really post chapters when I'm feeling inspired or have a good idea what direction I want to go. Speaking of, over on my Deviantart I made some more artwork related to this story but some of them contain spoilers so just be aware of that. Also, the quality got messed up for some reason so you might have to visit my tumblr instead. Just look for _"The Soul's Pulse"_ and that's me. Anyways as always thanks for the support guys!

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**Chapter 31:** Deception

(Chapter inspired by Wasteland by Against The Current)

* * *

Danielle's POV

"For the record, I'm sorry I bit you," I told Vlad offhandedly while one of his ghostly maids was busy cleaning the ectoplasmic blood off the carpet in his room.

After showing me where the lounge was, Vlad made me sit down on one of the sofa's and brought a first aid kit so he could disinfect the cut on my hand, which was already mostly closed. He kept his expression carefully blank and I fidgeted slightly in my seat, unnerved by his standoffish demeanor. Was Vlad still angry that I bolted towards the nearest ghost portal I could find like that? Was he angry with himself because I already caught him in another lie? Or was there was something else entirely going on in Vlad's head right now...?

I suppose it could be all of the above. I mean, I DID sort of blurt out that I knew Vlad was the one who turned Freakshow into a ghost. He clearly wanted to keep this under wraps until my memories came back or maybe Vlad was hoping I'd never learn the truth. The fact that I did find out wasn't part of his plans...

Vlad expected to come back to find me still safely tucked away in bed, none the wiser to what he'd done and more than a little confused now that Freakshow's staff was destroyed. And once Vlad was able to measure the extent of my memory loss, he would either take me home once the coast was clear if it turns out my memories came back immediately after Freakshow's influence over me was broken. Or he'd do what had to be done so I could recover with his help and cover up my disappearance until such a time as I did recover my memories. That is, if that was still even possible.

He might not show it, but I could tell Vlad was relieved that I knew who he was at least. Not that it mattered because I still only knew so much about him even when I did have all of my memories. And right now Vlad was the ONLY other person besides Freakshow I remembered, and the latter was dead now because of him...

It was unsettling to think Vlad was willing to go that far to protect me. Of course, I knew Vlad had a dark past because he hated my dad, but at least as far as I know he never seriously considered killing him for real since Vlad wanted to get his hands on my mom and get revenge by leaving him alive so his regrets would destroy him bit by bit. The fact that Vlad WAS willing to go that far because of me scared me a little but it was more like I was worried about what it would do to HIM. I didn't want Vlad slipping back into his old habits because of this. The only reason I called him is because I was desperate and trusted him not to do anything crazy.

So much for that theory...

"Danielle, how much do you remember exactly? Do you remember anything about what Freakshow did to you?" Vlad asked suddenly, his voice still low and even without any hint of emotion which told me Vlad was keeping this businesslike until he got the information he needed from me.

I didn't really want to talk about it, but I forced myself to tell Vlad everything because of the current situation. I told him how it was like I kept feeling this hypnotic pull every time I saw Freakshow's staff. And it didn't matter whether it was in person, on TV, or on a billboard, I felt it no matter how I was exposed to it. Before this all happened, the only thing I remember doing that was even remotely normal was meeting up with a friend that morning and we were looking forward to visiting the circus together after school. But then some things happened and honestly the only reason I knew about it because he told me what I did after the fact...

After that, my memories became a lot hazier.

The last thing I remember clearly was getting in trouble after accidentally skipping first period and winding up at the opening cerimony of Circus Gothica and being stuck in detention with my two best friends. But then I saw that damn staff again on the screen of my other friend's tablet, and everything went dark from then on. There were fleeting moments of awareness here and there like when Freakshow was toying with my white hair, when he ordered me to put on this tattered black robe for my performance, and when the act was cut short because I disobeyed Freakshow's orders and saved my Gothic-looking friend from falling to the ground and breaking his neck.

I don't remember how much time passed before I found myself standing in front of Freakshow who lazily decided to play dress-up with me, decorating my body with tons of stolen jewelry while his second in command, Lydia, watched the whole display. And the whole time this was happening her aura clearly hostile, but I was the only one who could sense it. And the moment he left us alone to begin preparations for the next performance, she floated up to me, ripped the bracelets off my wrists so she could fling them across the room, and then she violently did the same thing with every other piece of jewelry on me until all that was left was the tiara that got stuck in my hair.

She tried to yank it out but as much as it hurt I didn't cry out, I didn't even fight back, even when Lydia eventually just shoved me to the ground and dug one of her heeled boots into my back while trying to get a better angle to rip the tiara off of me. As a ghost, Lydia could have easily phased it off, but she wanted to hurt me without disobeying Freakshow's orders. She wanted me to feel every bit of pain from it since it was revealed by Freakshow himself that Lydia hated me for looking more human than she did and she hated the lustful gaze her beloved master graced me with whenever he saw me.

Things became harder and harder to remember after that as the orb's power of me steadily grew. But I remember feeling invigorated and thrilled by the rebellious nature I was allowed to express freely for once. It was like I was having FUN breaking the rules. I even felt incredibly satisfied teaching those cops a lesson in humility since I was tired of them blaming me for all the ghost problems in town when it WASN'T my fault there were so many. Up until then, I'd been doing pretty good reducing their numbers so everyone would be safe. But sadly, they always came back eventually and started causing problems again...

I still didn't want to kill anyone obviously, but I remember how it felt so good and liberating to simply embrace the darkness inside of me so I didn't have to remember the misery and heartache the memories of my old life caused. I felt like my life at home was far from ideal and I endured a lot of backlash when my parents couldn't see that I was still doing my best to stay on top of things. It was like nothing was ever good enough or they were always disappointed in me no matter what I did so I was getting tired of even trying. I was trapped in an endless cycle looking for some way out, even if was just for one day while goofing off with my friends at the circus.

When that fell apart too it was like I...gave up on myself. It was easier for me not to think or allow myself to stay bound by the rules anymore since most of them didn't apply to me so it was liberating letting Freakshow control me. The only times I actually felt guilty and fought back were moments when he ordered me to do something that was against my values, like hurting or killing others. If it wasn't for that I would have happily slipped into oblivion forever, content that I wouldn't have to worry about anything or disappointing anyone ever again.

Or so I thought.

I didn't even realize that meant I would be leaving Vlad behind too, which was never my intention. He still meant so much to me and I was hoping Vlad would be able to change his ways if I gave him a chance and showed him I wasn't going to abandon him without a good enough reason like if he tried hurting my dad again. I guess that's why I felt guilty once I realize what I almost did and how Freakshow nearly got away with kidnapping me so that's why I reached out to him for help.

But by then...it hurt too much to accept the idea of going back home after what that creep made me do, knowing I'd become trapped by unrealistic expectations all over again and by my dangerous half-life of fighting ghosts. So I chose to forget everything instead. Because while it's true that Freakshow's power of me played some part in my memory loss and left some emotional scars, I was the one who ran away from the rest because I couldn't deal with the pressure I was under anymore...

"So now you know everything..." I concluded, my shoulders dropping.

"This is all my fault. I let this happen and now it's a struggle to remember who anyone is besides you because they always had this way of making me feel like everything I did was a mistake somehow. And now someone is dead because of me...because you killed them to keep me safe. It makes me wish that I would have caught my friend sooner when he fell from the train so I could have confronted Freakshow myself instead of getting you involved. It's no wonder I didn't want to remember who I was. I'm nothing but a failure. A loser with no future who doesn't have the right to call myself a hero if I can't even save myself..." after trailing off, I could feel my eyes watering a bit but I blinked the tears away since crying wouldn't solve anything, it'd only make me feel more helpless.

His tone softening finally, Vlad reached over to support the back of my neck with one hand as he pressed his forehead to mine and said, "No, you did the right thing, Danielle. Don't ever doubt that. Because trust me, even if you hadn't called me I would have found out what he attempted to do to you and it would have only been a matter of time before I hunted Freakshow down. And while I normally don't regret my actions, you're right about one thing, I allowed my anger to cloud my judgment and killed a man who likely wouldn't have posed much of a threat to you anymore if I simply removed the staff and hid it somewhere a lowly circus freak like him couldn't find it. That, and I could have easily had him transferred to a high-security prison for his crimes and taken far away from Amity Park and that would have had to suffice regardless of my thirst for vengeance. But I promise you this, I won't let him take you. I'll keep you safe Danielle, no matter what it takes."

For some reason, those words filled me with dread and I asked, "Vlad, what are you going to do?"

His eyes piercing mine, Vlad replied, "What I should have done from the beginning. That's all you need to know."

Red flags started to go off in my brain but before I could do anything else, my ghost sense went off and then...less than a minute later I forgot what I was about to say and looked at Vlad in confusion. What were we talking about again...? Dazed, I let Vlad pull me into his arms, still cradling the back of my head with one hand while the other idly stroked my hair.

I closed my eyes, feeling the tension evaporate from my shoulders as he held me close, and I listened to the steady beat of his heart as Vlad repositioned himself so the two of us were laying diagonally along the sofa, my back pressed against his chest. I shivered when Vlad kissed my shoulder and whispered that everything was going to be alright in my ear and for some reason, I believed him. I had no reason to doubt him so I nodded and folded my hands over his as the two of us fell fast asleep; too emotionally drained to move from that spot...

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Vlad's POV

I hated having to resort to overshadowing Danielle even briefly, but I had no choice.

I couldn't have her running off again like before and I also didn't want to risk Danielle beginning to feel trapped again like the last two times we were together. I wanted Danielle to feel safe in my presence, reassured, and in my mind, this was the best way to ensure that things went as planned this time. It was risky, overshadowing someone who was also half-ghost since I didn't know what could happen or if it'd even work, but to my surprise, it left me feeling more connected to her than ever before...

I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it felt being so close to her, close enough that it seemed like our very souls were able to touch. It made me feel like for the first time in my life since the accident, I was finally whole again. It was like she quite literally completed me and it almost reminded me of when we lost ourselves in the heat of passion and made love to each other. I felt incredibly close to Danielle back then too and never wanted to leave or side. This time was hardly any different in that regard.

I could tell I was getting a little too comfortable overshadowing her since it felt so right yet so wrong at the same time so moments later I had to recall my duplicate before I accidentally left any _'other'_ impressions on her mind. But feeling the afterglow of being that close to the point where our ghost cores seemed to resonate, it left me feeling slightly breathless afterwards which surprised me so I made myself lay down beside my beloved and hold her close once I made Danielle forget the part of our conversation that made her feel uneasy.

In my mind, she had suffered enough already and I didn't want to add to it by troubling her with my decisions on her behalf because they had nothing to do with her. And while I told her I regretted killing Freakshow, the only I felt any remorse is because now he posed a much bigger threat to Danielle. I didn't regret doing any of that for her sake, because Danielle was mine and I would protect her with every fiber of my being and bring her enemies to their knees if they ever reduced her to a state like this or attempted to take the other half of her life. Danielle's life, her existence, was far too precious to me to risk losing to some ghost or a human who enjoyed playing god with the lives of others and control them.

That's why, this time, I wouldn't let Danielle out of my sight. And if that meant I had to push my plans forward to move here or possibly spirit her away to my castle again, so be it. I wasn't going to leave her side again either way. Danielle desperately needed my protection and so I would provide it even if that meant manipulating her more than I ever wanted to during such times. It was all for her sake and in my eyes...far better than the alternative where I simply kept Danielle in a gilded cage for the rest of her natural life and isolated her from her friends and family from this moment on.

Since I didn't want to do that though I'd have to take charge of the search for Danielle Fenton personally even if it was through my usual methods because either way, I needed to keep them off our trail. She still didn't remember enough to safely go back to her day to day life anyway but it was clear that Danielle's memories were slowly returning which was good news. It meant that all hope wasn't lost that she would get better. And once she recovered, we could confront Freakshow together and take back what he stole from her. But in the event that Danielle couldn't land the finishing blow, well, his blood was already on my hands so...ectoplasm was hardly any different.


	32. Temptation

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, sexual and possibly disturbing content ahead! _**Also, thanks "freegirl333" it makes me happy to hear that about your support and liking my art. I promise I'm really alright though and I have plenty of people to talk to during hard times.

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**Chapter 32:** Temptation

(Chapter inspired by Whispers in the Dark by Skillet)

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Vlad's POV

Later that evening, since I was too afraid of leaving Danielle alone given how she wound up sleepwalking earlier because of Freakshow's newfound ghost powers when he somehow transferred a shard of his former ghost-controlling orb directly into her hand, I brought Danielle to my room now that it was cleaned up and tucked her in. Although it was too small for her, Danielle looked like an angel wearing this white nightgown. I'd have to get her some more nightwear like this in the future even if it wasn't her usual preference. At least she wasn't flinching away from my touch despite knowing what I've done so that gave me hope that Danielle remembered how deeply I loved her.

I've missed her so much, and although this wasn't how I wanted to be reunited with Danielle after months apart, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders once I knew for sure she was safe and saw her with my own two eyes. I kept tabs on her ghostly exploits of course, but needless to say, I still worried about Danielle sometimes when it was clear she was still pushing herself too hard and exceeding her limits trying to keep her head above water. It was no wonder she felt like she was drowning in a silent sea of tears, smothered on all sides by a pressure Danielle couldn't escape. And I shuttered to think that Danielle literally could have drowned after falling into the river outside of town as well and I could have lost her forever...

Either way, while this was hardly the time for such things, after changing into some sleepwear myself, I wrapped my arms around her stomach and kissed her neck, pressing my body against hers. Danielle moaned softly in her sleep and shifted slightly so she was facing me more so I slid one hand down to rest over her heat while the other slid up then cupped one of her breasts. I could feel her hips trembling and unconsciously leaning into my hand although I hadn't started moving yet. And I wanted to believe this meant Danielle's body ached for my touch and remembered how good I could make her feel.

Rationally, as I said, I knew this was hardly the time to make any more romantic advances on Danielle but part of me was afraid of losing her to this monster of a man turned ghost. His threats clearly held a suggestive undertone and I refused to let him touch her again even in her dreams. Instead, I would do what I could to fill Danielle's every thought with memories of me, memories of our love. That's why I couldn't bring myself to stop. I wanted her so badly. And I wanted to make sure my scent would cling to Danielle's skin enough to eclipse her own, therefore making it harder for Freakshow to catch another whiff of it.

Still half-asleep when I coiled my arms around her, Danielle muttered sleepily, "Vlad...?"

Kissing her shoulder once again and making her gasp, I replied softly, "I'm sorry, did I wake you? Do you want me to stop?"

Letting her eyes flutter open, Danielle looked at me with this odd expression that was a mixture of uncertainty and desire before deciding something or that this was nothing more than a lucid dream, she lifted one arm to reach around so she could touch my cheek and whispered, "No, it feels nice. Don't stop. Touch me more...it's so familiar..."

Smiling, I turned to kiss the inside of her palm and replied, "As you wish my dear..."

Sliding my other hand over her hip and pushing up Danielle's nightgown, I began softly stroking her heat through the underwear I also stole and slipped my other hand beneath the gown to touch her exposed breast, my fingers rubbing the nipple to make it hard. Danielle's moans continued until she pulled my head closer and kissed me willingly, exploring my mouth with her tongue as her hips bucked into my hand every so often. The taste of her breath was so sweet that I greedily pushed my tongue inside as well, swirling it around hers and down below I could feel my shaft twitching in excitement already.

I could feel her getting wet too so I decided to try something and partially phased my hand directly through her body to search for her g-spot and she howled in delight when I found it. I shuttered when I felt her pleasure in addition to mine through the partial link our bodies were sharing as my ghost powers responded to hers and I broke away from our kiss, panting. I realize this was probably more intense for Danielle since she was a hormonal teenager, but something told me there was more to it than that...

For some reason, I felt this...echo of a thought where Danielle admitted to herself after returning home from our last visit that she missed me very much and wanted to make love again under better circumstances. Well sadly, the timing for this was hardly any better since her life was in danger and her memories were scattered. But even so those thoughts remained and it was enough to allow Danielle to subconsciously accept my advances and embrace the heated lust we both felt, the yearning for a lover's sweet touch to wash her troubles away.

Removing my hand from inside of her pelvis, I gently rolled Danielle onto her back and slid my hands up her stomach and over her chest as she helped me remove the nightgown and pulled it over her head. I leaned down to kiss her and she cupped her cool hands on my cheeks, following my movements as I swung my leg over to straddle her hips so I was on top of her. When we broke the kiss, Danielle's eyes drifted down to my hardened shaft poking out of my silk briefs and she blushed, reaching a hand towards it and hesitating.

"It's alright my love," I encouraged sensually, pulling her hand closer and kissing her knuckles before lowering it again, "You can touch it if you want..."

Swallowing hard, Danielle reached down to pull my boxers down to expose my shaft which was fully erect and twitching then she slowly curled her fingers around the base, "It's so hot...is that normal?"

Struggling to keep it together since it felt so good having her hand on it, I nodded, "Indeed, this is perfectly normal. And your hand feels so good there...I can't..."

Realizing what I meant since I was trying not to blindly thrust into her hand, I allowed Danielle to figure it out herself and then she started moving it up and down of her own accord, watching me as my eyes began to roll slightly and I leaned my hips up to feel more of her hand service me. "Oh, Danielle...I've wanted this for so long. Wanted you to touch me there..."

Encouraged by my words, Danielle started to move her hand faster, panting as well as I started to meet each movement with a thrust, so ready to cum. I moaned loudly, calling her name and then cried out it as I came without warning. I was far from done though and Danielle knew it so after lazily tracing my throbbing member, Danielle said breathlessly, still blushing bright red, "Well, that was fast..."

I nodded mutely, responding a moment later with, "Considering how long I've been holding back it's to be expected. My desire for you is difficult to resist even at the best of times, my dear. But we can stop here if you want me to..."

Her eyes becoming half-laden, Danielle shocked me when she laughed softly, sliding her hands suggestively over her breasts and down her legs to draw attention to her heat and in the most seductive voice I've ever heard, Danielle sighed, "Are you really going to just leave me like this, still aching for you? How cruel..."

Unnerved by her sudden personality change I asked, "Danielle? Are you alright? You're acting...strange."

Sitting up and wrapping her arms around my neck, Danielle laughed again, "Never been better..."

Before I could question her further Danielle's lips met mine again much more passionately than before and through sheer force she pushed me back onto the bed, her long hair bathing her naked shoulders and her bangs veiling her eyes. She hovered over me like some sort of panther, her shoulders rolling as Danielle kept me pinned to the bed. But it wasn't until I saw her eyes literally flash red that I realized what was happening so I abruptly phased straight through the bed to escape her grasp. My sudden departure stunned Danielle but then she started laughing again, hugging herself as silent tears rolled down her flushed cheeks.

That's when I reappeared behind Danielle and wrapped my arms around her and said firmly, "Danielle, this isn't you. You have to snap out of it! Fight it...fight his control..."

Still laughing hysterically, Danielle argued jubilantly, "You're wrong, this is me. I am his angel of darkness...I am death...I am- what am I again? Am I human? A ghost? Something in-between? I can't remember. Isn't that funny Vlad? I can't remember a damn thing!"

"Danielle please," I urged, becoming a bit frightened myself now. "Come back to me. I'm sorry...I let myself be tempted again..."

Her laughter dying away, Danielle's tone turned harsh and she accused, "Isn't that the whole point? You're already a monster, so why deny your true nature? I say we embrace the darkness together. Should be easy right? After all...you've already killed in my name, why stop there? I've already fallen from grace because of you. The light's all gone now. Everything is gone...lost in the shadows and the silence, forever alone. I'm so cold, Vlad. Vlad? What's happening to-"

Covering her eyes with one hand, my fingers trembling slightly, I said, "Shh, it's alright, this is all just a bad dream Danielle. Don't think about it. Forget..."

Struggling a bit Danielle asked angrily, "Vlad seriously, what's going on? Let go of me!" Relenting, I did let her go if only because she sounded more like herself again and after looking down to see she was mostly naked still, Danielle snatched the covers to conceal herself then turned to me and suddenly slapped me hard across the face, her eyes glowing bright green, "What the hell is your problem?! Don't scare me like that!"

"Scare you?" I scoffed despite myself, rubbing my sore cheek. "You're the one who scared me acting like a woman possessed Danielle! You threw me back onto the bed yourself and wouldn't stop laughing-"

The tension draining from her shoulders as she stared at me in disbelief, Danielle asked more seriously, "What are you talking about? The last thing I remember is that you asked me if we should stop before we...went all the way again then the next thing I know you're behind me covering my face and talking nonsense! And that's exactly what Freakshow did in my dream before when he-?!"

All the color drained from her face when Danielle realized what must have happened and she stood up, slowly backing away from me. "No...no this can't be happening! I didn't mean to- oh my god, Vlad are you ok? He didn't make me hurt you did he?"

After straightening out my boxers and getting out of bed too I sighed, irritated by this whole turn of events but also deeply disturbed by it. However, noticing the signs of Danielle's rising panic, I strode over to her and assured her, "Hardly. And even if he did coax you into doing something violent I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. Either way, to answer your question regarding what just happened it was more like your...darker self he created through hypnosis resurfaced and you blatantly tried to seduce me."

Reaching over to reclaim the nightgown she discarded earlier, I gave it back to Danielle so she could get dressed again and while she did that I continued, "I'll admit I was taken aback by your sudden forwardness but thankfully I know you better than that and already saw a glimpse of similar behavior from you on the news so I was prepared for it. Still, you're right to be concerned. I don't know how he managed it, but Freakshow seems to have found a way to entrance you already even if it was only enough to bring out your dark side again that embraces your most forbidden desires and abandons all previous inhibitions. My guess is that's the other reason he sent that shard of his orb to you though some form of teleportation. But given his knowledge of the mythical and occult, if I had to hazard a guess as to how he pulled that off I've actually heard of instances where a ghost or a human with psychic powers can send small objects to others through dreams, pulling it out into reality. That would explain how it ended up in your hand when I know for a fact you were nowhere near him when I shattered it, not to mention I had my anti-ghost up to protect you while you slept the entire time."

"That's not exactly comforting Vlad..." Danielle muttered, trying to play tough even though she still looked scared and pale. "So what does that mean exactly?"

"It means..." I explained, "...that you were probably under his spell again, if only briefly. Freakshow counted on you accidentally cutting yourself with that fragment he sent you which allowed him momentarily regain control of your mind. Not enough to give out orders, but enough to make you act more like the version of yourself he created when he blocked out your memories before using hypnosis. So it would seem that I underestimated him, again."

"No! You think!?" Danielle replied sarcastically, backing away from me a bit further. "But Vlad this is serious, what are we going to do to stop Freakshow if all he needs is a few drops of blood to control me? How am I supposed to fight someone like that!?"

Narrowing my gaze, I closed the distance between us to gently support her shoulders as I replied darkly, "You don't. I told you before, this is my mess, so I'll take care of it personally. Your job is to stay safe and do what you can to remember your past and the other people who are important to you so things can go back to normal once this is all over. I don't want to be forced to take you from here for your own good. I know you'd hate me if I did. Even so, Freakshow will pay dearly for this...with his afterlife."


	33. Incentive

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

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**Chapter 33:** Incentive

(Chapter inspired by Cinderella by The Cheetah Girls)

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Danielle's POV

More than a little disturbed by Vlad's sinister words, not to mention what just happened, once he showed me where my room was again I took a quick shower to tidy up. By the time I finished, I was beyond relieved to find that my old clothes were finally clean because I was sick of wearing that stupid nightgown. I felt super uncomfortable wearing it. As for the clothes in my hands, Vlad must have brought them as a small peace offering since I was still pretty pissed at him.

Still, the shower didn't help as much as I hoped it would as far as helping me unwind so I couldn't sleep after that. I was too restless, too scared to sleep. So instead I forced myself to try and remember more about myself because I felt like it would make it harder for Freakshow to manipulate me. It was hard not being able to place certain faces or names though. That's why when Vlad told me more about the friends who were with me when all of this happened the following morning and I remembered that they already knew my secret, I wasted no time and demanded to see them.

"Vlad, I'm not going to be able to remember much if you keep me away from my friends and family! I have a life you know and you probably do too so can't you figure something out?" I frowned, refusing to eat the food he brought since I hadn't eaten anything recently.

Pinching the bridge of his nose Vlad explained, "I already explained this to you, Danielle. Right now you're extremely vulnerable to the power of suggestion and we can't risk you slipping into another trance in case Freakshow DOES order you to harm someone. What do you think is going to happen if I carelessly send you back home like this with an acute case of memory loss hmm? Even if they believe whatever story you come up with to explain yourself your parents aren't that dense and they'll attempt to use their own methods to jog your memory and that might just make things worse. And if a proper doctor tried to help you they wouldn't find anything either since your problem isn't psychological or medical, it's a matter of being bound by blood magic that's being used for hypnosis and mind control. And let's say I DO let you see your friends again. How exactly are they going to respond to this? Once they find out you don't remember who they are they'll blame themselves for what happened to you. Especially the friend that fell from the train you saved from drowning. He's perfectly alright by the way, but my vultures tell me he's been trying to break out of the hospital to go look for you ever since he woke up. He's very distraught."

"That's all the more reason to let me see them! Once they know I'm alright we can figure something out to stop Freakshow without you killing him...again. Please, can't you just trust me on this?" I asked, giving him a meaningful look but Vlad was being a stubborn asshole and refused to listen to me.

"Danielle this isn't a matter of trust. It's a matter of safety because frankly, you can't even trust YOURSELF at the moment; and given how Freakshow has threatened your friends before he's liable to do it again to use their lives as leverage so you'll do what he wants should he not be able to hypnotize you like he did last night using one of his old underhanded magic tricks. But, if we let him think you still have amnesia, that will keep them safe. Or as safe as can be expected. Same goes for your family," Vlad argued, but I noticed that for some reason he refused to say anything specific about them for some reason even though I already knew my parents were ghost hunters...

I suppose he had a point though, they were using to fighting ghosts...not magic, so Freakshow's power was out of their element. Vlad on the other hand, from what I remember of him he's a big fan of folklore and ghostly relics which explains how he knew so much about the original staff and blood magic to begin with. Regardless I still wasn't happy about this. Even if what he said was true I owed it to my friends to at LEAST let them know I was ok. As for my parents and my brother...this is going to sound really messed up but maybe this would teach them to appreciate having me around. Now that I actually WAS gone, maybe they'd start to give a shit about me. Well, my parents anyway, I felt bad for my brother since he was probably worried sick too, but he since didn't know my secret I wanted to keep it that way and keep them out of harm's way since Freakshow didn't know about them.

As much as I hated giving into Vlad's demands, I huffed and said, "Ok fine, you win. I'll stay put like a good little princess in her tower, on ONE condition. Actually no, let's make it three."

Rolling his eyes, Vlad pointed out, "You're really in no position to make demands Danielle. I'm doing this for your own good."

Smiling wickedly for an entirely different reason than having a dark side, I met his gaze and said, "Aren't I? For one thing, you don't want me to hate you. And I might not remember much about my brother but I'm sure he'd tell you that I know how to drive people up a wall if pressed hard enough so I won't make keeping me here easy for you. And if I have to, even though I know I can't beat you in a fight I'll eventually find some way to use my powers to get out and go see my friends anyway whether you want me to or not. So if you don't want that to happen, can you at LEAST send them a message? More importantly, can you promise that unless I go mad again we'll work together to stop Freakshow?" Growing a bit more serious again I added, "And if Freakshow really is as dangerous as I remember but ten times worse and innocent people are put in danger I guess I'll...I mean we'll decide if Freakshow does need to be taken down permanently. Together."

My stomach twisted at the very thought of seriously considering hurting, let alone destroying someone even if they are a ghost now, but Vlad already killed Freakshow once and now as _'freaky'_ as it sounds, he LIKES being a ghost which was all sorts of creepy. At the same time being one might have given him ghost powers, but it limited how many of his old tricks he could still use to control other ghosts. Because Freakshow realized pretty quickly that as a ghost he couldn't use blood magic the same way as before, least of all to make a brand new staff if I understood him right. He still needs human blood for his magic to work, although how Freakshow got this crazy idea that my hybrid blood is somehow more powerful than a normal person's is beyond me. Personally, I think the guy's obsessed.

Still, I doubt he was going to ask politely for a blood donation so the next time we met if Freakshow couldn't control me again he'd use force. And if he couldn't get my blood, Freakshow might go after some other random person or even my friends just like Vlad said he would in order to bind me to his will again to make a new staff regardless.

I couldn't let that happen. That's why even if I couldn't see my friends personally just yet I'd like to at least warn them about the danger instead of leaving them defenseless. Even if Vlad did have his cronies keeping an eye on them I couldn't abandon them to save my own skin after they did so much to help me regain control of my mind. It wasn't right.

To my surprise, I was abruptly brought back to reality when Vlad laughed and sighed whimsically, "It appears that I've taught you a little too well, my dear. Very well, if nothing else I'll discreetly pass along a message to your friends letting them know you're safe and warn them to keep their wits about them. But, they'll need some way to know this message came from you so is there anything you remember that no one else would know that would help me convince them it isn't some sort of trap?"

_Why you sly son of a-! _I scoffed after seeing him smile coyly at me in return knowing damn well I still didn't remember much of anything about anyone else right now...

Vlad was totally using my amnesia as an excuse NOT to say anything to them! Well tough luck, because there is one thing I remember and Vlad is going to HATE hearing it. But it'll serve him right for thinking he get his way so easily this time.

"Come to think of it, there is!" I beamed, tapping my lips playfully, "The day of my accident when my parents caught us in the lab, I tried to cover up the reason we were down there messing with the portal or anything else down there and used the old Fake-out-make-out tactic. So you remember that Gothic friend of mine? Technically he was my first kiss."

I didn't even flinch when Vlad's eyes flashed red and his shoulder's stiffened as he failed epically to hide it as a wave of jealousy washed over him. Like I said though, it served him right trying to manipulate me again. This wasn't like before when I was still pretty naive. I knew better now and had a few tricks of my own up my sleeve. So if he wanted to fight dirty, so could I. Memories or no memories, I could take care of myself in some ways at least.

Finally taking a bite of food to placate him, I said, "I'm sure that'll be more than enough to prove the message came from me, don't you?"

"I suppose so," Vlad replied grumpily but I reached over to pat his hand gently mostly to lighten the mood a little and to let him know I wasn't actually trying to be cruel to him.

This whole situation felt wrong, especially the part where I was stuck with Vlad, again, unwillingly to some degree. And I didn't want things to be like this between us. I didn't want my life to be a constant mess Vlad had to fix or some danger he needed to save me from. I had to learn how to save myself. So that maybe one day I'd be the one who saved Vlad from himself. Because while it was obvious that he loved me very much...killing for it out of anger wasn't love.

It was hate, pure and simple.

You can't love someone completely if you let hate control you. I've learned that lesson the hard way even though the thing I hated wasn't a person, it was the way my life had been going. I understand that now. But I've also learned that I can't keep blaming myself for all the things that go wrong in my life, run away from my problems, or take out all of my anger on the ghosts I fought. That's no way to live. I need to focus on protecting myself and other people from now on, including Vlad. Besides, life isn't all that bad and neither are ghosts, I'm sure there are some good ones out there and maybe I've already met some and just can't remember. That's why I have to keep fighting for the things and the people that are most important to me. I can't run away from who I am again...

That's why it was so hard for me to understand why this situation was so dire in Vlad's eyes to the point that he went to such extremes to try and keep me safe. Did the thought of losing me scare Vlad so much that he let his anger come back in full swing and he blindly lashed out at Freakshow for doing this to me? Was it my fault he was acting so possessive? And my guess is that the answer is a resounding _'yes...'_

Well that's just great, on one hand I had Vlad who loved me more than anything in the world but he was just as dangerous as Freakshow in some regards. Then there was Freakshow who wanted revenge on Vlad for killing him but he's also obsessed with claiming me as some sort of consolation prize despite getting his wish which was to become a ghost someday.

He just never expected it to happen so soon.

* * *

Later that same morning after arranging for some new clothes to be sent here and some extra food to stock the kitchen since we only had the basics here, Vlad finally explained where we even were and as I suspected we WERE in fact still in my hometown of Amity Park. It was a hard place to forget even though it was so small. Especially since I've patrolled almost every inch of it while tracking down ghosts. Vlad still seemed pouty after gave him my side of the argument too but I was relieved that he finally agreed to let me see my friends despite the danger we'd be putting them in as a sign of trust. Plus Vlad had a feeling that if I didn't see him give them the message myself I would end up accusing him of not giving them the message at all.

And frankly, he'd be right about that since I can't stand liars.

Regardless, Vlad told me that the other reason he was bringing me with him is because he didn't want to let me out of his sight just in case Freakshow tried pulling something again. And yeah I could see why he'd be worried about that after the fiasco last night. So with that settled we both transformed and made our way to the hospital first since my guy friend that I teased Vlad about kissing was still stuck in there recovering from a high fever and today my other friend was visiting him by herself.

It was our best chance to catch them alone and if Freakshow did go after them this was also our chance to catch him red-handed. But between you and me, I have a sneaking suspicion that another reason Vlad finally caved and agreed to my request is because he didn't want to use my fake-out-make-out story to convince them that I was the one who asked him to warn them about the danger and let them know I was alive. Not that I blame him, because now that I think about it it was an awkward story from my past to use considering that we were...sort of romantically involved but also not really. I just couldn't remember anything else specifically tied to my friends right now that only we would know about.

I didn't lie about that part...

As we flew, Vlad glanced over at me and commented thoughtfully, "Still the natural flier I see. I'm glad that even without most of your memories some part of you still remembers how to carry yourself in combat and use your powers. That should make things a bit easier once we track down Freakshow. However, I need to remind you that as Danielle Fenton you're technically still missing so once we reach the hospital I'll need you to either stay in ghost form when we meet them or we'll overshadow a couple of the hospital staff so as not to look suspicious." Sighing, Vlad turned his attention back in front of us as we flew and continued, "I still can't believe I let you talk me into this. We'll be keeping this visit brief regardless though. Also, and this is VERY important Danielle, even though they are your friends and you trust them you must promise me you won't tell them that I was the one who killed Freakshow. They won't understand my reasons any more than you did and I don't want them making things more difficult than they already are."

I nodded in agreement, though it still left a sour taste in my mouth having to lie to them and replied, "Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with you there. If they found out what you did they might not be as forgiving as I am and they'd try sucking you into a Fenton thermos if we told them the truth and tell me to never see you again for my own safety since you're a bad bad man. Which means if we wanted to stay together we'd have to meet in secret from now on like a ghostly Romeo and Juliet..."

"Danielle, would you please try to take this more seriously?" Vlad sighed, unamused by my comment.

"I AM taking this seriously," I groaned, feeling a bit exasperated myself. "I tend to crack a lot of jokes to keep myself calm ok? So sue me! Truth be told I'm as nervous about this as you are since I barely remember them. And I know that going to see them is still risky, but it's a risk I'm willing to take so at least SOMEONE in my life besides you knows that I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere. Once this is over I just want to find Freakshow and stop him so things can go back to normal and I'll remember the rest of my life so you'll stop acting like this."

"Like what?" Vlad asked with eyes narrowed.

"I dunno, just...weird ok? And to be honest, kinda menacing and overprotective too," I admitted, rubbing my arm and averting my gaze. "I get that what happened to me last night was unsettling, but I'm freaked out by all this too. And given what we were doing before it happened, I can't help but wondering if the real reason you wanted Freakshow dead is because he almost..."

I left the rest unsaid but the message came across so Vlad replied somberly, "That's part of it, yes, but not the whole story. Up until now, I've let you do as you please despite the constant danger you put yourself in to protect others because I believe in you and your aptitude for using your ghost powers in new and creative ways I never would have dreamed of. I didn't want to coddle you so I allowed the fighting to continue even though personally I wanted to tear apart every ghost that so much as left a scratch on you. So when I thought Freakshow defiled your body and your mind to the point where the damage might be irreversible, that was the last straw and I decided to remove him from the picture so he could never harm you again."

Pausing midair Vlad explained bluntly, "Danielle I...please understand that the thought of losing the woman I love to someone else again, especially such a monster, was unbearable. As was the thought of you dying because I wasn't there to protect you during a time you needed me most as more than just a mentor and a friend. You needed me there as your lover who would do anything to keep from losing you again. Love, my dear, can make both humans and ghosts do unspeakable things. Remember that. However, I am used employing to such underhanded strategies almost on a daily basis as a businessman anyway so it was all too easy to sneak into prison undetected to confront Freakshow."

"True, because of how angry I was for what he did to you I wanted to kill him but that wasn't why I went there," he continued, clenching his fists since the memory of their encounter still angered him, "Originally I was only going to demoralize and humiliate him so Freakshow would think twice before coming after you again, but when he tried to take the staff back from me made his intentions clear, especially when it comes to you Danielle, that's when I decided he was too dangerous to keep alive. Contrary to what you believe, I did not make that decision lightly. I do regret not thinking about the possible repercussions of my actions as I normally would have to avoid complications. But as I said, I was blinded by anger because of how much he hurt you and I swore that I would avenge you, no matter the cost."

"Right..." I began unsurely, looking up at the sun before commenting without thinking and pointing, "We should hurry, it's almost 3 pm and mom and dad hate it when I'm not home early enough to finish my chores before hanging out after school. Also, the hospital is more that way..."

Checking the device on his wrist to check the time, Vlad was surprised when I was pretty accurate guessing what time it was and said, "I'm impressed, Danielle. How did you know what time it was?"

I blinked, confused and muttered shyly, "I...don't know. I just looked at the sun and thought about what time of year it was and where we'd be orbiting the sun and I just knew."

Vlad nodded and ruffled my hair, looking pleased for some reason and smiled as he said, "I'm glad you seem to be recovering your memories fairly quickly little badger. You always did love astronomy so it's only fitting that those memories would stick. You're very passionate about-"

Vlad stiffened, his eyes narrowed and at first I had no idea why but then two seconds later I gasped as my ghost sense went off and I followed his gaze to see...a familiar ghost wearing a red cloak. Vlad must have seen her before my ghost sense went off. "Lydia!" I growled, backing away from Vlad and charging my hands with ecto-energy. "Vlad she's heading straight for the hospital! We've gotta stop her!"

Just before I could rush off to attack Lydia, Vlad grabbed my shoulders and snapped, "Wait, we don't know that for sure and she might just be flying over it. We don't want them to know that anyone you know is in the hospital right now and look, that's the same direction the train tracks are on the far side of town so she might be heading there. It could also be a trap."

"But-!" I protested and Vlad only gripped my shoulders tighter.

"Danielle, listen to me. I know what I'm talking about! If you're still worried we'll follow her at a distance and if she bypasses the hospital that means we're in the clear. If not, that's when we'll attack. Not before. Deal?" He asked, watching Lydia's retreating figure like a hawk.

Shrugging him off I grumbled, "Fine, but if she's after my friend I'm gonna kick her ass."

His red eyes glinting adventurously, Vlad smirked, "I wouldn't have it any other way because frankly, she deserves some punishment as well for not taking my threats seriously. I spared her once since she was no threat without her master, but if she's following his orders again...that makes her our enemy. She'll lead us straight to Freakshow's lair even if it takes a bit of...persuasion."

For once, I actually agreed with him so I nodded and said, "Considering the bad company she keeps, I'm in."

* * *

**Note: **Gonna try something a bit different by letting you guys help me decide what happens next! These kind of count as spoilers but if no one votes I'll just do whatever feels like the more entertaining thing to write about.

These are your options:

**1)** Lydia does lead them into a trap and we finally get to see Freakshow's ghost form.

**2)** Lydia gets away but we get to have a moment between Vlad and Sam where they basically declare themselves silent rivals while Danielle is busy helping Trish who is having a meltdown since she hates hospitals

**3)** Lydia does try to go after Sam but Danielle kicks her ass and Vlad finally gets to see her fight first-hand before Freakshow shows up unexpectedly and manages to kidnap Danielle again


	34. Conflicted

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Thank you guys so much for casting your votes! Some of them were a bit unclear at first and looking back it might have been easier to try posting a poll, but the votes you did send seemed to be telling me most of you wanted a combination of options 2 and 3 so I'll do my best! I got a couple of votes for option 1 too though so I think I'll try to combine bits of all three ideas if possible. I was just waiting to reach a tiebreaker. Also to _"__nightmarealley13" _welcome to the Phandom! And omg yes, I imagine this version of Vlad looking like Krossan's version too! Their Danny Phantom art has to be my all-time favorite in the Phandom along with Amethyst-Ocean's work.

* * *

**Chapter 34:** Conflicted

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Danielle's POV

If it wasn't for Vlad I would have blasted Lydia right out of the air because I wasn't about to let her hurt my friends! I did what he told me to though and stayed invisible as we followed just to see where she was heading. Thankfully that red cloak was easy to spot even at a distance. I didn't relax until she flew well past the hospital but even then I wanted to chase after her right then and there. Letting her get away felt beyond wrong but it wasn't like I had a choice. It was either chase her or see my friends and I decided that the latter was more important. They needed to know I was _'mostly' _ok, amnesia issues aside.

Vlad could tell I was on edge though so he did his best to put my mind at ease as we phased through the roof of the hospital and I watched as Vlad did his thing. As promised I stayed invisible as I followed him before he chose a doctor to overshadow and asked one of the nurses where "_Samson Manson's"_ room was. They gave him the info without batting an eye but when Vlad left his body the doctor swayed dizzily. They asked if he was alright but the doctor dismissed it as working too many shifts before going about his business as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He did feel the _'impression' _that he asked about my friend but couldn't remember why. Either way, just in case the doctor decided to visit that room anyway so all we had to do was follow him.

I was still uptight from seeing Lydia but when we passed a certain room I stopped dead in my tracks and stared. "That's..." I whispered, ignoring Vlad as I phased through the door and entered the room.

I immediately flew to the window and since the room was empty I took a risk and turned visible again. Concerned, Vlad followed suit after making sure the room was still locked and placed a hand on my shoulder, asking, "What's wrong Danielle? Do you know this place?"

I nodded, closing my eyes as the memory rushed back to me. I stiffened when it did, remembering the pain and the fear I felt and the bitter cold as I lay there and my body continued to change because of the accident with my parent's ghost portal. I saw my brother, Jason, asleep beside me with a book at his feet that must have slipped out of his lap as he held my hand; I saw my parents arguing over how stupid it was to install the on/off switch inside of the portal but when they saw me open my eyes, their anger melted away and they hugged me, acting like worried parents for once and not mad scientists; and finally, I saw my friends...Sam and Trish beside me as I showed them my hand which had turned intangible and we were trying to figure out how to change it back before the nurse came back to take my blood pressure since you can't really do that if the pressure gauge has no arm to attach to!

Opening my eyes, I sighed, not sure if I felt relieved to have remembered all those names or not but it was something. "This was the room I was in for two weeks after my accident. My brother Jace spent a lot of time here while our parents were too busy trying to figure out how I got the ghost portal to work and my friends Sam and Trish visited me a lot too. It feels like it was such a long time ago and yet...it's like I'm right back where I started, feeling scared and confused because I don't know what's happening to me and I have to hide it from everyone, especially my parents."

"Oh, Danielle..." Vlad whispered, turning me towards him and pulling me into a hug, "I should have known this might bring back unpleasant memories aside from what we're aiming to help you remember. Are you going to be alright?"

Nodding, I pushed him away and smiled sadly, "Yeah, I'll be fine. This is actually a good thing and I feel better remembering their names at least. Anyways let's go. We've wasted enough time here."

"Very well. After you, my dear," Vlad replied, gesturing at the door with a sweeping motion of his arm and following me after we both turned invisible and intangible again.

We lost track of the doctor but thankfully Vlad remembered what room number the nurse told us to go to so we went straight to Sam's room, and unsurprisingly there was a very nervous Trish tapping her foot impatiently outside the door. Actually seeing her like this it helped me remember now that truth be told she's petrified of hospitals. But because Trish was such a good friend, she swallowed that fear back when I wound up in here and now she was doing the same for Sam. I had to admire her for that.

Her skin was dark, like the rich brown tint of mahogany wood with piercing teal-colored eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses and there were thick black curls framing her worried face. She was wearing a yellow turtleneck with army pants and matching heavy boots and on her head was a red beret. It was great seeing her again but I was worried too because of how nervous she looked and she kept glancing down at her tablet almost like there was something she was itching to tell Sam.

I considered showing myself then and there since the hallway seemed otherwise empty but Vlad grabbed my shoulder and shook his head. And knowing he was right and it'd be better to wait until we were behind closed doors I reluctantly waited until we saw the door open and the doctor Vlad overshadowed earlier looked at her with a bemused expression and said, "I'm still not sure why I was told to check on this patient instead of his assigned doctor but no matter, um, you're free to go in now I suppose. Your friend will likely be discharged very soon now that we have him on antibiotics that can be taken at home. I'll go check with his family doctor and be back in a little while. Page us if you need anything."

"Y-yes sir, thank you!" Trish replied hastily, rushing into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Once the doctor was out of sight, Vlad and I phased inside of the room too and after confirming that it was a private room with no other patients, we waited for an opportunity to show ourselves without freaking them out too much. We agreed that I would show myself first and then introduce Vlad once they were sure it was really me and I wasn't being controlled. Still, when I floated over and saw Sam lying in bed, arms folded and grumpy, I felt my chest tighten and a blush heated my cheeks...

Like Trish, he had sleek black hair but I wasn't sure if it was natural or dyed, his skin was fair like mine only more so since he didn't like spending too much time in the sun like most Goths...or a vampire I guess. His dark violet eyes had equally dark rings under them that had nothing to do with eyeliner and he looked tired but otherwise seemed ok which was such a relief.

When he saw Trish though it became clear WHY Sam looked so worried and he asked her in a hurry, "Have you heard anything from Dani yet? Have they found her?"

Trish shook her head sadly and sat down in the chair next to the bed and replied, "No not yet. But we have bigger problems. I recorded the news feed but you're gonna want to hear this."

Pressing play on her tablet, we heard the voice of a news reporter lady who seemed sort of familiar to me as she said, _"This is Tiffany Snow, here with a special news report. As I'm sure most of you are already aware of by now, Frederich Isak Showenhower, otherwise know as the ring leader _"Freakshow" _of Circus Gothica was recently arrested with serious charges of assault, theft, and the possible abduction of local teen Danielle Fenton who has yet to be found. However, before police were able to question him further on her disappearance Freakshow was found dead this morning in one of the unused interrogation rooms located in Amity Park Penitentiary. His cell was empty when the guards came to collect him earlier that morning and they began a prison wide search of the premises, thinking his ghostly accomplices broke their leader free or he escaped on his own. As it turns out Freakshow did not escape but instead is believed to have most likely been lured away by these ghosts who betrayed him and impaled Freakshow with his staff which is featured as an iconic trademark of his show. The only evidence they have of this horrific turn of events that almost plays out like a scene taken straight out of a horror movie is a bright red cloak that was found at the scene of the crime which many witnesses of their previous encounter with Freakshow's ghostly accomplices confirm belongs to the female ghost they saw who attacked them by bringing her tattoos to life as ghostly apparitions who was defeated, ironically, by Danielle Fenton's parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton during the so-called free performance Freakshow used to trap many concerned parents and authority figures as a means to secure his escape with the gold and jewels he orchestrated to have stolen from local banks and jewelry stores in the area."_

I swallowed hard, sweat beading my brow as the news lady continued,_"Regarding the disappearance of Danielle Fenton, she was reportedly last seen at Casper High by her friends Trish Foley, Samson Manson, and Vice Principle Mr. Lancer who was later discovered locked in the janitor's closet in the Casper High Library though he claims to have no memory of actually being assaulted prior to finding himself trapped inside. Along with Danielle Fenton, according to police reports, these three local teens discovered evidence of Freakshow's ghostly thefts and attempted to stop him themselves. Trish Foley was found on the train with Freakshow who seemed out of sorts after his ghostly accomplices fled the scene but only Samson Manson was found unconscious near the river below the train tracks on the far side of town. As such the search for Danielle Fenton continues and both her parents and the authorities ask that if you have any information to please contact them right away. We'll return with another news report once more details come to light during the investigation of Freakshow's murder as well as the fate of the girl who is believed uncovered his plot in the first place."_

* * *

Vlad's POV

Before I realized how much hearing that news shook her, Danielle suddenly sagged to the floor, turning visible without warning and her friends turned sharply as soon as they heard the noise. And immediately upon seeing who it was, her friend Trish beat Samson to the punch and embraced Danielle tightly. Samson followed suit though his actions were a bit clumsier and he joined them in a group hug and while this should have been a heartwarming little exchange, it left a sour taste in my mouth regardless. Danielle really was lucky she had friends who accepted her, which is something I'll never know...

"You're alright! Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" Trish exclaimed, lifting her glasses so she could wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I..." Danielle began unsurely, slightly overwhelmed at first but when she turned to look at her friend Samson, she put her own feelings aside to make sure HE was ok like the goodie-goodie she was and said, "You guys, I'm so sorry for what happened. I couldn't control myself. But you were there for me and...stopped Freakshow from controlling me, right? Sadly most of my memories are a bit fuzzy right now so I'm not entirely sure what happened aside from a few memories here and there. I'm ok though, at least for the most part. There's so much I need to tell you!"

Exchanging a worried look with Samson and then glancing at the tablet in her hand, Trish asked unsurely, "Um, Dani? If you don't mind my asking...how much of that did you hear?"

Visibly paling, Danielle stood up, helped them to their feet one at a time and admitted, "I heard all of it. And that's actually why I'm here. You guys are in danger and we came to warn you, Freakshow is...he's a ghost now and he's after me again. That's part of why I couldn't come back. It's too dangerous."

"We?" Trish blinked, looking over at Samson who scowled and crossed his arms.

"She's talking about that other half-ghost guy, Vlad Masters. Dani called him for help and he found me in the woods but I guess that asshole decided to ditch me there once he found her since I wasn't needed anymore," Danielle cringed at these harsh words as they passed his lips, but afterwards, she still tried to defend my actions anyway...

At least, the ones she was ALLOWED to tell them about.

"It wasn't on purpose. When Vlad found me I was hurt and delirious and I couldn't remember who I was. I didn't even know who HE was at first. I just had a feeling I could trust him so I let him bring me somewhere safe. But the important thing is that Vlad did found me first and he was there when Freakshow revealed that he was coming after me again so he couldn't spirit me away while my memories were still hazy. In fact, Vlad's here with me right now and we came to warn you about the danger in case Freakshow's second favorite ghost Lydia was sent after you to get to me. We saw her flying over the hospital but he convinced me not to go after her in case it was a trap. I'm just glad you're both safe..." Danielle said, pulling them both into a tight hug again now that they were standing up again and she didn't let go until Trish cleared her throat.

"Wait, do you mean here-here or somewhere nearby?" Trish blinked, ducking out from under Danielle's arm.

Unable to resist the urge to mess with them a little, I floated behind Danielle's friend and whispered, _'Boo' _in her ear before turning visible again. She yelped in alarm and jumped back from me, hiding behind Danielle as she stared at me with wide eyes. Once it was clear that I wasn't a threat, the young lady huffed, "That wasn't funny! God, the last thing I need is to have a heart attack and end up in the hospital too!"

To my surprise, Danielle's friend Sam laughed a little and argued, "Well, I thought it was pretty funny. You really do need to relax a bit, Trish. No one here is gonna hurt you. And look at it this way, least he has a REAL sense of humor...unlike that psychopath."

Glaring at Samson, Trish rubbed her ear and replied almost hysterically, "Of course you'd think it's funny Sam, you love all this spooky crap we have to put up with! But this is serious. I mean I'm glad Dani's ok but didn't you hear the news report? Freakshow is DEAD, Sam. He's a HUMAN that was KILLED by a ghost or someone who wanted to make it LOOK like ghosts did it after they impaled the guy and left him like that for someone to find as some kind of sick joke! And now we find out he's back for more as something even more dangerous and wants to brainwash Dani again! Oh and by the way, Dani is still considered a missing person too! This isn't a game! And you, Sam you almost died too. I saw everything happening right before my eyes but I couldn't do anything to help, and if Dani hadn't snapped out of it in time to save you you'd both could have been-been-"

Realizing my error far too late, Trish suddenly burst into tears and fled from the room, unable to handle the stress she was under anymore. I hastily tried to apologize for my actions since I'll admit that was pretty discourteous on my part but Danielle just glared at me and rushed after her invisibly. I thought about following her, however, since we were safe enough for the moment and this was something only Danielle could take care of I decided to wait here for the time being...

Besides, there was something I wished to discuss with this young man in private anyway so the timing couldn't have been better. This wasn't how I wanted things to be but who was I to abandon a perfectly good opportunity to remove another rival? Not literally of course, but I wanted to make it clear that Danielle...was mine.


	35. Rivalry

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

* * *

**Chapter 35:** Rivalry

(Chapter inspired by Circus by Britney Spears)

* * *

Vlad's POV

"Nice going horn-head," Samson frowned, climbing back into bed since he was still a bit under the weather which would explain the delay in embracing his dear friend Danielle despite feeling just as relieved that she was safe. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Trish to come see me by herself today? She has a serious case of Nosocomephobia, aka fear of hospitals, and she's already stressed out as it is since Trish had to cover for me AND Dani after we stopped Freakshow. Not the best time to be making jokes dude even if it was to lighten the mood."

With a shrug, I replied, "In my defense, I was completely unaware of that so from now on I will refrain from doing such childish things in the future. With any luck, we won't have to mingle very often anyway, least of all under circumstances such as this." Turning to look him in the eye, hands behind my back, I continued curtly, "At any rate, I'd like to correct your earlier assumption that I _'ditched you' _in the woods after our previous encounter. Do not misunderstand me, unlike Danielle I am under no obligation to protect nor help you or anyone else but I did so anyway for her sake, not yours. I also took some valuable time out of my search efforts to lead the search party to your location before returning my attention to a more serious matter, which was Danielle's safety. Be grateful for that, otherwise, it would have taken them that much longer to find you. Also, I think we can both agree that bringing Danielle back while she had amnesia would have proven disastrous for all concerned considering how many enemies she has."

"Fine fine I get the picture," he huffed, still eyeing me warily. "Is Dani ok now though? She seems kinda nervous which is unlike her. No matter how serious the situation she always tries to keep things lighthearted to make things less stressful on the rest of us. She's usually not so...apologetic. Dani has to know that what happened wasn't her fault. Freakshow's been controlling ghosts for years from what I can tell so this was something we weren't prepared to deal with. The last ghost we faced with any sort of hypnotic powers was Ember but she used sound waves, not magic. I just wish I knew what kind it was that controlled her. Necromancy maybe?"

I raised an eyebrow, surprised that Samson was so knowledgeable about magic, but then again he WAS a Goth meaning he probably liked dressing in all black and reading ghost stories in the dead of night by candlelight. That is until Samson here learned that some of them might be real. Just as he would soon learn that most forms of magic are real which brought up my next point...

Rolling my eyes, I corrected, "No, it was blood magic. That staff was created through some sort of ritual by his family many generations ago and thus it was bound to his bloodline. However, once those ghosts killed him it's power died with him. Shattering it would have only weakened the effects on her mind, not remove them. As a ghost though, Freakshow's spells need HUMAN blood to work, ectoplasm won't work. At least not that I'm aware of. But he does seem to have this misguided belief that since Danielle's blood contains both it'll somehow grant him more power if he can perform another ritual to forge a new one to control her with."

"How do you know Freakshow was murdered by ghosts?" Samson asked, still highly suspicious of me.

_Smart boy, but alas...not smart enough to outwit me. _I thought to myself before audibly scoffing, "I have my sources. That's all you need to know. But the point is, while we did come to warn you of the danger and let you know she is safe, Danielle is in grave danger here so for the time being she'll have to stay with me."

His eyes widened and Samson protested, "Are you crazy?! Dani can't just up and leave! Her parents are beside themselves and her brother is barely keeping it together either. And what are we going to do if another ghost attacks while she's gone? Dani has a life too you know and we have school!"

My eyes flashing brighter red I snarled, "Of course she can. Danielle's safety should always come first, not last as it often does here so the rest of you can go on with your merry lives and leave all the heavy lifting to her! As for ghost attacks, well, maybe if Jack and Maddie were any good at their so-called JOB as ghost hunters Danielle wouldn't have to fight them all by herself night after night."

"That's not your decision to make horn-head, it's Dani's," Samson growled, undeterred by my anger. "And we both know that unlike you she DOES care about people other than herself."

"Oh?" I sneered, lazily lifting the medical board at the end of his bed before letting it drop. "You think this is about me? That I'm _'keeping'_ her from coming back? Well, you're wrong my boy; I came here to warn you and Miss Foley because it was what Danielle wanted. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered. I only care about HER happiness, HER safety, which is a lot more than I can say for you and your other little friend since you often selfishly accuse Danielle of prioritizing fighting ghosts over spending time with you. But do you know the real reason why she fights ghosts? Danielle fights them to SURVIVE and she does it to keep YOU safe! As a result, Danielle constantly puts her dreams and her personal life on hold anyway whether she's physically here in Amity Park or not. She sacrifices EVERYTHING for you people, and what does Danielle get in return? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! So excuse me for putting her needs before my own since no one else seems to be stepping up..."

"Ok that's it, you wanna go asshole? What's your deal anyway? You sound like some sort of jealous-!?" Whatever Samson was about to say was abruptly cut off when I felt hot air pass through my nostrils as my ghost sense went off and I whirled around, forming a shield around us just as several small ghosts attacked from all sides, their sights set on him.

I recognized this lesser specters! They belonged to that tattooed ghost, Lydia! But that could only mean- "Danielle! Damn it, it was a ruse after all!"

With a few well-aimed attacks, I easily disposed of them and immediately expanded my powers to try and sense Danielle's presence once the coast was clear. I had no way of knowing if Danielle was under attack yet or not but the fastest way to alert her if her ghost sense hadn't gone off was to set off the fire alarm so I scanned the roof for the nearest sprinkler-head and obliterated it with a blast of ecto-energy fire. Soon after the alarms started blaring and everything fell into chaos as the doctors and nurses and another hospital personal rushed to evacuate as many patients as they could in this wing of the hospital where the supposed fire was.

"What the hell did you do?!" Samson, exclaimed, rushing to his feet again but sagging against the wall, coughing as thin wisps of smoke wafted his way.

"What I had to. Danielle's out there by herself and this was the quickest way to alert her to the danger. I KNEW coming here was a bad idea, I should have-" Shaking my head I dismissed those pointless thoughts and teleported out of the room just before one of the doctors burst in to _'save' _Samson from the fire. As for me, I had more important things to worry about such as rescuing Danielle...

* * *

Danielle's POV

By the time Trish stopped running to catch her breath, we were nearly back near the entrance again so it was obvious she had fully intended to bolt once her courage failed her. I felt really bad for doing this but I couldn't be seen so I overshadowed Trish just long enough to duck into a nearby supply room where I exited her body, turned visible again, and hugged my friend. "It's ok Trish, I'm right here ok? Just take a deep breath and pretend we're in the janitor's closet at school instead of the hospital..."

Nodding, Trish tried to calm herself down and closed her eyes and kept muttering _'not a hospital'_ over and over until she managed to convince herself and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the soft glow of my ghost form before glancing around for a light switch and waiting til I unwrapped my arms from around her to turn it on. Trish wasn't normally afraid of the dark either but right now, everything set her on edge. The smells, the sounds, everything about this place brought up terrifying memories for Trish, memories I could only imagine since mine were still hazy, but she eventually calmed down enough to sit down on an unused gurney and I floated up slightly to sit down beside her til she was ready to talk to me.

On a whim though, I rubbed the back of my head and laughed nervously, "Sorry about overshadowing you. I wasn't sure how else to get you to stop without being seen. I'm especially sorry about what Vlad did. That was uncalled for and not the best time to mess around."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Trish sniffled, "Is he always like that?"

Deflating a bit I admitted, "I...don't really know. Like I said I can't remember things very clearly right now. My guess is that Vlad took what I said on our way here to heart about making jokes to make things seem less serious. I didn't mean for him to spook you like that. And you know me, I can't pull off spooky even if I tried!" I smiled weakly, nudging her shoulder.

Turning to look at me, in a dead serious voice, Trish said, "You're wrong there. When Freakshow took control of you you were plenty creepy Dani. It was scary seeing you act like that but we both knew it wasn't you. I'm glad you're back though. Sam and I didn't know what to do when we heard you were still missing. And when I saw that news report..." grabbing my shoulders suddenly, she asked fearfully, "Dani, tell me the truth...is there any chance that YOU might have killed Freakshow while still under his _'turn-evil'_ spell? I know you'd never hurt anyone on purpose but-"

"No, it wasn't me...I promise you that," I told her, internally flinching at the memory of seeing Freakshow's death now that I knew it was Vlad's doing. But a promise was a promise so instead, I only told her a half-truth. "After Vlad found me, I had this strange sort of...vision where it was like I was still connected to his power and was compelled to go defend Freakshow but it already was too late. Not long after I had another dream only Freakshow was actually talking to me and told me his plans. Not a very smart move but Freakshow he...he did confirm that he is in fact dead. And he wants to use my blood to make a new staff so he can control me with it again to get back at his killer. Part of me still didn't want to believe it was real but after hearing that news report..."

I trailed off, unable to bring myself to say anymore but that seemed to be enough for Trish and her shoulders relaxed as she let go of my shoulders, sighing with relief. "Oh thank god. I knew you'd never do something like that even when under some kind of freaky spell but I just wanted to hear you say it. Anyways I'm sorry your memories are still kinda screwed up. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Smiling, I told her, "I'm sure once we kick Freakshow's ass it'll all come back to me, don't worry. The best way you can help me right now is by keeping a low profile and staying safe until Vlad and I sort this all out. Then we can worry about jogging my memory if there's still a problem. But now that you guys at least know what's going on we can form some kind of plan to lure Freakshow's ghost out into the open. We might have to capture Lydia first to do that though and I have a feeling he might send her after you or Sam at some point. I was worried that's why she was so close to the hospital but Vlad reminded me that the train tracks are just southwest of here. Either way, we need to be careful."

Trish nodded, the all too familiar determined glint returning to her eyes as she declared haughtily with a smirk, "Don't worry Dani, we'll hold down the fort til you get back! Then we'll worry about getting the rest of your memories back! I'm just glad you seem like your old self again. Did being near Vlad really have that much of an effect on you?"

I blushed, unsure of what she was implying and coughed into my fist, looking anywhere but at her face, "You could say that. I mean, the only thing I could sort of remember was that I was half-ghost so when I met another one who seemed to know me it seemed to spark some sort of reaction and helped me remember enough to get by. I'm hoping once we get rid of Freakshow again things will go back to normal and I can hang out with you and Sam again and do all the stuff we used to do together."

Laughing nervously herself, Trish began toying with her hair and asked, "It doesn't have to be _'exactly' _the same does it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"I mean like, do we have to go patrol EVERY night or can we take breaks as long as they don't hurt anyone? Or better yet, can we just take a break from it altogether?" she asked as if it was something we could just _'stop doing'_ which made me frown a bit.

When she continued speaking though, it made more sense why Trish felt that way because she started rubbing her arms after a chill ran up her spine and she explained, "Dani, I know this is kind of your thing now since you have ghost powers but this time what happened really freaked me out. It...reminded me of how dangerous ghosts can be. Not that I'm scared of YOU! But other ghosts...like Vlad for example, they're bad news."

"Wait, why are you saying that Vlad is bad news?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Girl, have you SEEN the way he looks at you? It reminds me way too much of the ravenous way Freakshow kept looking at you as he ordered you to attack us. His eyes looked crazed and possessive and while not as intense as Freakshow's eyes I get the same vibes from Vlad. Also, he kept staring at Sam like a wolf with his hackles up, guarding his...mate." She blushed a bit at the last remark and all the color drained from my face.

_Oh god...does she know that we've- _I began thinking fearfully when suddenly the fire alarm went up and instinctively I leap to my feet, charging my hands with ecto-energy and no sooner had I done so when my actual ghost sense went off. Seconds later a somewhat familiar presence made my heart start to reverberate painfully in my chest before a shudder swept through me as Freakshow's voice echoed in my head as he said-

_Miss me my pet? _Then we both heard actual laughter before I was violently yanked backward through the wall and just barely registered Trish calling out my name before the wall blocked out her voice and I was thrown outside into the open air. It took me a minute or two to reorient myself but when I did, my eyes caught sight of a certain red cloak as it floated past me and when I looked up...

...I saw Freakshow's ghost form for the first time.


	36. Slighted

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning! Gory scenes and psychological torment ahead!_** Also, sorry for reusing scenes from a previous chapter, it was just easier to show what happened again.

* * *

**Chapter 36:** Slighted

(Chapter inspired by I Won't Look Back by Fireflight)

* * *

Danielle's POV

I felt so stupid once I realized the ghost we saw earlier was just Freakshow disguising himself as Lydia to throw us off and so we'd think the coast was clear when he totally bypassed it. For all I knew it was entirely possible that Lydia wasn't even a part of this and he just wanted us to think he already had her as back up. And I had to remind myself that Freakshow was used to sleight of hand maneuvers and misdirection. It's how he's gotten away with all those robberies, ghost minions aside, as the ringleader of Circus Gothica...

As for what Freakshow looked now, well, honestly I'm not sure how their appearance is determined once someone who was human once becomes a ghost but he looked very different now. His hair was mostly the same except the mahogany section was now made of these eerie blood-red flames that lazily floated around his head like a red crown and his skin was gray, like the color of cold ashes.

The thing that shocked me most though was how similar he looked to Vlad, aside from his clothes. Freakshow's eyes were pupil-less and red just like his and his ears were long and pointed although it was at a lower angle than Vlad's. They were also pierced on each side with two solid black beads. And finally, his clothes were entirely different now too. Gone was the long trench coat with the red trim and heavy combat boots, or really anything that looked even remotely Gothic aside from his black gloves. In their place was a long sleek red jacket with tattered edges over a black suit vest with a white undershirt that basically made him look like a classical circus ringleader you might see in a movie, only he was dead.

However, it wasn't his appearance that unsettled me, it was how...at ease Freakshow looked in this form. Like, didn't Freakshow care at all that he was dead at all and couldn't go around performing anymore unless he found out how to disguise himself as a human again? Sure he stole gold and jewels and who knows what but Freakshow's show, while weird, was something he clearly enjoyed doing since he was obsessed with being the center of attention. And even if he tried to, I have serious doubts that he'd be able to pull off a ghost circus in the Ghost Zone since EVERYONE was weird there already. Here, his fans were usually just weird Gothic people who enjoyed the bizarre and disturbing things that set his circus apart from the stereotypical ones.

It just made me wonder why. Was it the power ghosts have that he craved? Was it being freed from worldly cares? Was it so he could be with Lydia and not feel weird now that they're both ghosts? I have no idea.

But either way, Freakshow was still a ghost, a very new ghost at that so now that I felt more like myself again he didn't scare me as much. In fact, seeing how inhuman he looked actually made it easier to treat him as any other ghost who threatened Amity Park. I wasn't about to underestimate him yet though since Freakshow had some sort of...telepathic power that let me hear his voice in my head and he's invaded my dreams once before but I wasn't sure if that was because of ghost powers or if it was a lingering effect of his blood magic.

"Long time no see, my darling," Freakshow cooed, sweeping his arms out in a dramatic flourish, "How do you like the new look? I think I improved upon rich boy's vampire-like appearance I must say..."

Crossing my arms, looking unamused I shrugged, "Hate to say it but as far as ghosts are concerned you still look pretty substandard. Trust me, you may have controlled ghosts for who knows how long, but I've seen more of them than you ever have. Also, funny how you mention vampires seeing as you used blood magic to mess with my mind!"

Still smiling and flashing his new fangs, Freakshow chuckled, "Figured it out have you? I'll admit I'm still getting used to having powers myself but I know enough about ghosts to understand how they tick. You, on the other hand, my pet are a rare and fascinating creature. Had I not been murdered by your lover I would have made you show me how you became half-ghost instead of a full one."

"He's not my lover!" I blurted out, embarrassed and angry at him for saying so so casually. I...still didn't know WHAT we were with all the craziness going on if I'm being honest but it was NONE of his business.

Noting my explosive reaction Freakshow teased, "Not your lover hmm? Could have fooled me since rich boy certainly seems to think otherwise. Oh well, if he isn't your lover then he really his just a murderous stalker after all. The very idea of me touching you angered him so much he pierced my heart so it could no longer beat for you; you should have seen the crazed look in his eyes! Rich boy was oh-so-very pleased with himself as he watched my lifeblood spill all over-"

"Stop it!" I snarled, shooting an ecto-energy blast at him but he twirled out of the way with ease and laughed.

"The truth hurts doesn't it? If we're being honest here, Vlad the Impaler is far more dangerous than I am. He claims that I'm the ONLY man he's murdered, but how do you know that for sure?" Freakshow sneered, goading me on.

I knew I shouldn't let his words get to me but it was hard not to. I could feel echoes of his old power over me reverberate in my head, making it tingle. I soon realized that this wasn't the case, Freakshow was using one of his new powers to speak directly into my mind...and show me things. _Here, let me show you his true colors..._

I recoiled from the vision as it blinded me, but then I saw more of what happened the night of Freakshow's murder. Only this time it was Freakshow forcing the memory of it into my head...which started playing like an antique film before my eyes.

* * *

_"I told you before, Freakshow-" Vlad hissed in a low menacing tone, "-that this isn't a game, did I not? I've cut off every exit, erased every possible way to trace our encounter, isolated you from anyone who might have been able to stop me which there are none anyway, and most of all I've figured out the way you think long before we ever spoke to one another. I know what you've done, I know who you're in contact with, and I know it was YOU who did this to my little badger and you're going to pay dearly for that. It takes more than flattery and sleight of hand to get the jump on Vlad Masters! Or better yet-"_

_Encasing his staff with ecto-energy, Vlad ripped it from his grasp and pulled it back towards him, grabbed it, then transformed into the very same ghost Freakshow thought was only an underling of his. Terrified now Freakshow backed against the wall and exclaimed, "What?! What on earth ARE you?! Guards! Guards help! There's a ghost attacking mfffmh!"_

_Rushing forward with inhuman speed, Vlad clamped one gloved hand tightly around his jaw and sneered, "It's no use calling for help. No one can hear you, and no one can stop me. As for what I am, I am the first of my kind and Danielle, otherwise known as Dani Phantom to you, is my lover and you made a HUGE mistake laying your filthy hands on her. Do you want to know why she was able to resist you even slightly when no other ghost ever has before? It's because she's only half-ghost. We both are. Obviously, I'm more powerful than her at present but someday that will change and when that day comes scum like you will NEVER be able to hurt her ever again."_

_Struggling uselessly against his monstrous grip, Freakshow's eyes began to bulge as Vlad applied pressure to his jaw, feeling the bones start to crack beneath his fingers, then he leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "This is what happens to those who invoke my unbridled wrath. You want your staff back so badly? Then here...take it!"_

* * *

I cried out and grabbed both sides of my head, not wanting to see the murder happen all over again, but it was no use. This time I actually saw Vlad drive Freakshow's staff through his heart and unlike when I saw this happen in my nightmare it all way too vivid in my mind. Then I saw Vlad casually walk away after shattering the orb on his staff with an ecto-energy ray from his eyes and teleport away like it was just another loose end tied up. However, in the silence and the darkness that followed when the lights suddenly blinked out, I saw fragments of the shattered glass start glowing red again when Freakshow's blood pooled under them.

I was forced to watch as they slowly began floating and his actual blood started to glow too, looking more like...red ectoplasm than blood. My gaze drifted to the staff impaling Freakshow's body as it began to quiver and glow as well. Or, no, it was Freakshow's body that was convulsing as the red glow from the small splinters of glass and the blood flowed into him. Total darkness fell again, but I knew it wasn't over and suddenly Freakshow's eyes snapped open, glowing blood red, and his back arched as a silent scream passed his lips and a figure began to materialize in front of him. And as soon as it finished forming, his eyes turned completely white and his body went limp once more, never to move again.

As for the apparition, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Freakshow's ghost. He was glowing the same bright red as his former staff and his eyes stared at the lifeless shell before him before they drifted down to his own feet which were floating inches off the ground. His eerie ghostly light was the only thing that illuminated the darkness where his body lay, or stood rather, motionless.

The moment it sunk in that he had somehow come back, but as the thing he wanted to be the most, a peal of laughter broke the silence and Freakshow marveled at his new form, wishing he had a mirror or something to see himself with. Still, after turning around a few times to check his new form out, his red glow fell on Lydia's cloak and the fallen shards catching the light so he picked both up, smiling wickedly and ignored it when his new fangs cut his lip and ectoplasm started dripping down his chin.

A moment later he finally licked it off and glanced at his frail human form one last time before saying, "It looks like the show isn't over yet...rich boy."

Gasping when my vision blurred and returned to normal, if I hadn't been flying I would have fallen to my knees. That was absolutely horrible. I knew Vlad could be kind of intimidating and come off as an uncaring asshole, but this, this was a whole new level of scary. Even worse, Vlad did all this trying to avenge me but it backfired and turned Freakshow into a ghost that inherited some freaky power from that staff just before all of its power faded. Either that or it was some sort of freaky voodoo thing that the staff was designed to do when it reacted to his blood being spilled.

"Scary isn't it? What men will do in the name of love?" Freakshow chuckled, grabbing my shoulders from behind and I instinctively slammed the back of my head into his face, elbowed him in the gut, grabbed his arm and flung him over my head which sent him rolling through the air a few times before righting himself.

You'd be surprised how well that common self-defense move mom taught me against creeps like him still worked wonders in a ghost fight since some ghosts still thought I was weak and frail like a normal human girl but they soon learned they were sorely mistaken. Either way, Freakshow must've closed the distance between us while I was forced to relive his death scene so I'd have to be more careful from now on. If Freakshow had a ghost power that let him force images into my hand, literally blinding me, I was either going to have to find some way to resist it or I'd have to rely on my other senses.

"You wanna know what else is scary?" I grinned, igniting my hands with ecto-energy again, "There's a little saying that goes _'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' _Well, guess what Freakshow? I'm feeling plenty scorned so I hope you're ready for the fight of your afterlife. Magic won't save you this time and I'm onto your tricks now!"

Glaring and me and hugging his stomach, Freakshow laughed cruelly, "We'll see about that, girlie. Or did you already forget where we are? I know your other little boyfriend is here in this hospital and once Lydia brings him to me, you'll have to do what I say with or without my staff."

My eyes widened in alarm and I exclaimed, "No! Sam!"

The plan after that was to rush back to the hospital but before I could do anything, Freakshow pulled out another shard from his old staff out of a small pocket in his vest and said something but whatever it was I never heard it. Everything went black and my body went limp and dropped out of the air like a ton of bricks then crashed into the parking lot below, leaving a huge indent in the asphalt. I was definitely going to be feeling that later but for now I couldn't see or feel anything. I was, for lack of a better term, dead to the world.

Somehow Freakshow was using the remaining shards of his old staff to perform complex blood magic before they lost power all over again and became useless now that the last of his human blood had drained from them. That's why after he landed to collect me Freakshow turned his palm over and let the useless fragments fall with a soft clatter. After that Freakshow lifted me off the ground and slung me over his shoulder once it was clear that the damage wasn't too severe. He needed me alive after all to make a new staff, couldn't make one if I was a full ghost if he killed me by accident. What Freakshow's plans for me were after that happened, was anyone's guess.


	37. Tormented

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, traumatic hospital scene, more colorful cuss words, and brutal torture ahead!_**

* * *

**Chapter 37:** Tormented

(Chapter inspired by Back From the Dead by Skillet)

* * *

Vlad's POV

While it went against my better judgment, although I was sorely tempted to leave that brat alone to fend for himself, I knew Danielle would never forgive me if I left him unprotected so I left an invisible duplicate with the boy just in case. Meanwhile, before I worried about tracking down Lydia I needed to locate Miss Foley first since she was the last person Danielle was with and if she did rush off to fight a ghost she would be the last to know or it was entirely possible that they might still be together. Alas, it was a fool's hope thinking Danielle would be there because once I finally tracked her down she was alone, forced to stay with the other evacuees in a large group nearby. Not wanting to waste any more time on formalities, I phased through the crowd and separated Miss Foley from the rest of them so we could talk.

She seemed startled at first but as soon as Miss Foley opened her eyes and saw it was me taking her somewhere quiet to talk, Miss Foley exclaimed, "Vlad! What's going on? Where's Dani?"

"That's what I was hoping to find out from you," I admitted briefly, setting her down and turning us both tangible and visible again. "Why isn't she with you?"

Grabbing the side of her head, her tone panicked, Miss Foley explained, "Shit, so it wasn't you who grabbed her then. Dani was trying to help me calm down and we were talking in a supply closet near the entrance when the fire alarms went off and a few seconds later so did her ghost sense. Then we heard laughing and she was pulled outside through a wall! I assumed it was you taking her to safety to get away from whoever was laughing like that but I wanted to make sure so I burst out of the supply closet and got swept outside by the crowd. I couldn't get away from them but then we heard a crash on the other side of the parking lot. Dani might be there!"

Nodding, I turned to leave when suddenly she grabbed my arm and asked, "Wait! What about Sam? Is he ok?"

"He's fine...for now. Lydia sent her lesser specters after him but they've been dealt with," I replied curtly. "If you're worried about him I'd suggest that you make your way back to..." Trailing off, I blinked when my vision blurred and I literally saw a brief vision of Freakshow from the night I ended his life. But why would I be seeing this? He had no power over me, unless-!?

Waving a hand in front of my face, Miss Foley asked, "Um, hello? You ok there dude?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "It's nothing. Now, where did you hear that crash again?"

Pointing in the direction a little further north from where we were, she said, "Over there I think. It was hard to hear with all the sirens going off but they think it's a gas leak or something stupid like that and won't let anyone go that way. But my guess it's Dani kicking that ghost's ass! Still, I'm worried about her so if you can, please try to help. I don't want her getting hurt again."

My eyes softening, I calmly pat her hand and despite the dread I felt internally, I tried to reassure Miss Foley, "Danielle is a strong and capable young lady, I'm sure she'll be fine. But I promise I'll keep her safe either way."

Smiling, she nodded and with a determined look and then Miss Foley turned back to face the hospital and groaned, "Ugh, and this was the perfect excuse to just leave too. I hate hospitals. I've never told them why I hate them but something tells me you should hear this. When I was little, I got really sick and snuck out of bed one night and I saw someone...die. And I don't mean peacefully in your sleep like everyone hopes to, he was screaming and broke a bunch of medicine bottles when they tried to sedate him then his heart gave out. But Dani, she's always been surrounded by death because of her parents and their ghost stuff even before the accident, maybe that's why she can face it so bravely. Still, despite all that, we both know that the living are more important. That's why I was able to visit her when she wound up here and when Sam got sick too."

Turning back to face me to make sure I was listening, Miss Foley continued seriously, "I know this is going to sound selfish coming from me but...I don't want Dani to spend the rest of her life chasing ghosts. Personally, I don't want to either and what happened to Sam really spooked me. I know Dani's gotten better at fighting but when Freakshow took control of her like that I seriously thought I might have just lost both of my best friends at the same time when Same fell from the train and Dani flew after him and it felt like I was as powerless as I was back then to do anything to help. Sam and I can help her deal with most ghosts now, sorta, but how much longer will it be before one of us DOES get killed? That's why I think you might have a better chance of convincing Dani that after this she needs to start thinking about where she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life. Because half-ghost or not she's still a person too. So are you. And like I said...it's the living who still have anything left to worry about."

Taken aback by her honesty although this was hardly the time for this, I nodded and said, "I'll keep that in mind. But for now, Danielle needs my help as you said so the best thing you can do to help her is regroup with Samson and keep an eye out for Lydia. She may still be lurking nearby."

"Got it," she nodded, running back towards the hospital before Miss Foley added at the last minute, "Oh, and when you find her, tell Dani I said-"

Screeching to a halt when none other than Lydia herself suddenly appeared, her red cloak billowing around her shoulders as she glared down at us, snarling, I teleported right to her before she could attack Miss Foley and grabbed her by the throat, my ghostly aura flaring. "I warned you what would happen if you showed your face here again, did I not? It seems that you need a reminder!"

Ignoring the look of horror on Miss Foley's face as I electrocuted Lydia with my powers, I glanced down at her and snapped, "GO!"

Without hesitation, Miss Foley ran off and once we were alone again I deigned to remind Lydia that even without her master's staff I could make her suffer just as easily with my own powers. With one hand, I tossed her to the ground with enough force that had she been human would have shattered most if not all of her bones. Once I landed I strode over to her with purpose and violently kicked her in the stomach and sent her skidding across the parking lot until she crashed into the side of a car and slowly untangled herself from the twisted metal, spitting out ectoplasmic blood from her mouth. Her red eyes grew wide and fearful as I glided towards her, but then her expression melded into one of anger and she summoned all of her specters to form a massive wave of creatures behind her, hoping to look more powerful than she was.

I merely rolled my eyes and created several more duplicates since I still had one watching over Samson, and together we took turns attacking Lydia relentlessly with a blinding flurry of energy blasts, kicks, punches, and whatever else I could think of to do to make her suffer before finally stopping once she was on her hands and knees. I did not take kindly to having my warning's ignored. This was PRECISELY why I never gave them if I could help it. Whether they were a business rival or a ghost foolish enough to fight me, allowing them to get off the hook was often seen as a sign of weakness or defeat and they wasted no time looking for a way to strike back at me again...

Sadly this is also why Danielle's enemies strike back as often as they do, she's far too lenient with them. And while I know that's just who she is, I don't work that way. I can't afford the luxury of mercy, not when I have plenty of enemies of my own who have threatened to take all I have short of my life. After losing Maddie to Jack, I swore I would never let any power outside of my own decide my fate. I was in full control of my life and assets and while I could manipulate most people I rarely took pleasure in it since in most cases it was simply business.

Well, maybe a few times when they deserved some humiliation in addition to a painful lesson where they learned never to cross me again, but when it came to Danielle's well-being perhaps Samson had a point and it bordered on the edge of madness since I was so afraid of losing her. With Maddie, the most I had to fear was losing my chance to win her heart, but with Danielle, she was constantly in danger of losing her life. So now the thought of Danielle losing her mind, losing her memories of the feelings and the bond that had grown between us, it was almost just as unbearable so I would do almost anything to prevent that from happening.

That's why in either case, I had special plans for Lydia this time. Willingly or not she was either going to lead me to Freakshow, who undoubtedly sent her after Danielle's friend in hopes of holding them hostage, or SHE would be MY hostage. And if Freakshow still cared for her at all, he would surrender...

But for now, reminding this ghost of her place in the world and finding Danielle came first.

Using two of my duplicates to hold her while recalling the third to save energy, I knelt down, pulled Lydia's head back sharply by one of her spikes since she had no hair, and demanded venomously, "Now I'm only going to ask you this once. Where is Danielle? I know you can't speak, but you CAN point. So if you want to remain corporeal enough to retain that human form, I suggest you do it quickly."

To my surprise, she smiled knowingly and pointed at her chest which struck me as odd until I saw a familiar shard poking out of her bodice since she had nowhere else to put it. Well sadly for her I have touched women before so I was hardly shy about it so I phased through her just enough to grab it since I didn't want to touch this harlot any more than necessary. Unfortunately, the instant my hand made contact with the shard despite wearing gloves, there was a flash of red light that blinded both me and my duplicates and when I recoiled from it to shield my eyes from the light this allowed Lydia to escape before I could recover.

When the light faded, I saw the translucent image of Freakshow in human form but since his grin was as cocky as ever I lost my temper and bellowed, "You bastard! What have you done with Danielle!? Where is she?"

"_Why hello there rich boy! Long-time no see so to speak provided I COULD see you. I'm afraid I'm only speaking to you now through a sort of telepathic message imprinted on this fragment which will lose it's power once I've finished speaking so do pay attention, won't you? Splendid! So first off, as you can see the thing about blood magic is it usually needs to be recharged periodically to work properly but so long as you have the stomach for spilling a little blood it's rather easy, just a few drops will do. And in my case, it's more potent to use my own and I rarely needed to since this staff was charged with plenty of blood offerings over the centuries since it was made. Or it WAS since my family made that staff themselves using their vast knowledge of the arcane and supernatural. Speaking of which, thankfully even after you broke it as it turns out my blood was considered more than enough of a sacrifice to recharge the fragments one last time and provide them with enough power enough to let me use them for other things besides controlling ghosts. Also, if you're wondering why I still look human...well, I'd hate to spoil the surprise!" _

After that, Freakshow actually showed me some of the fragments in his hand by making them float above his palm before continuing, "_I assume you've already met Lydia if you've activated this message. Finding her again was rather easy since we're bound to each other on a much deeper level than you realize. You see, I knew her before she died and since she wanted to remain by my side once I took over Circus Gothica I happily obliged. Everyone else I knew was already dead so if she was doomed to die too at least we could stay together. Sound familiar? It should since you seem to think that our dear Dani is bound to you in a similar fashion. However, the thing about ghosts is that they're very...unpredictable, without guidance they latch onto one thing and pursue it unrelentingly. I simply redirect that compulsion to better suit my own needs. My parents did this for years as did my family before them. They bound the ghosts of those who died during their performances in our circus and allowed them to keep doing what they loved since most were outcasts anyway and had nothing else to live for nor hope for in the afterlife..."_

Placing the fragments in his pocket, Freakshow turned and laughed, "_That's why I find Dani's existence so funny! She's only half-ghost and yet she is obsessed with helping others almost as much as you are obsessed with wooing her. That means once I have her in my clutches, not only will I have a steady supply of blood offerings, but since she's half-ghost I can still control her! Not to mention taking her from you will be the icing on the cake. Hopefully, I already have her by now but if not, the game continues rich boy, and I aim to win and crush you with a humiliating defeat! You took my life, so I'll be taking the one thing you value more than money. I'll claim her body and soul and leave you with nothing once I've broken her spirit the old fashioned way. But this won't be any fun if I didn't give you a sporting chance. You see I've devised a special show just for you, and your beloved will be the star of the show so I suggest you find her quickly if you want to say your goodbyes. Otherwise, if she's already with me getting ready for her big performance, well, you might not recognize her when I'm finished. Either way I'm looking forward to the grand finale! I hope you are too! So best of luck, Vlad the Impaler!"_


	38. Rueful

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, more colorful cuss words ahead!_** Alright so just real quick, I'm going to explain something about Freakshow from what I know of him from the show. From what I can tell, he is more or less an expert on most of the occult things that have anything to do with ghosts since many mystical relics were owned or possibly made by his family. Now, in the show, he only appears in two episodes and in the one his new outfit is based off of in this story there's a book with his name in it, but personally, I think Freakshow was named after one of his ancestors. So with that in mind lets move on to magic. In this AU I tied his staff to blood magic which requires a blood sacrifice to use but there are probably other magic tricks Freakshow was taught by his family or learned on his own as far as controlling ghosts are concerned and other small things. Either way, I'm going to be taking more artistic licenses to expand on what he can and can't do as a ghost and as a magician. Hope you like it!

**P.S. **Ah, one more quick thing, slight spoiler but while I said that Freakshow can't make a new staff without human blood there are still a few things he can do using his own ectoplasmic blood to cast spells. He just hasn't mastered his new nature as a ghost yet so they either don't last long or they tend to work a little differently than Freakshow's used to. You'll see what I mean at the end of the chapter.

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**Chapter 38:** Rueful

(Chapter inspired by State of Seduction by Digital Daggers)

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Danielle's POV

Whatever I expected to wake up to, it definitely wasn't this. I was laying on the floor with chains around my wrists and ankles but they were glowing red like they were still made of molten metal and my skin tingled beneath them whenever I moved so something told me these were either made of ecto-energy or some sort of weird magic. If these WERE made of ecto-energy though, while I have seen it in many other colors before, I've never seen it in red. Then again, Freakshow isn't like most of the other ghosts I've faced. There's something about his energy that feels...infernal if that makes any sense, like ectoplasmic flames but hotter and more savage.

Either way now that I was awake I struggled against the restraints and tried using my powers to get free but nothing worked. In fact, the more I struggled the weaker I felt and the brighter they glowed like they were draining me. So eventually I gave up and collapsed back onto my side, breathing heavily.

Well, it was worth a shot, right?

Anyways, I still couldn't believe Freakshow managed to capture me so easily. What did...he even do? All I remember was hearing him say something before I tried to rush off to protect Sam and then everything went black. My head felt kinda fuzzy but it didn't hurt or anything like that so he clearly didn't strike me from behind. And I doubt even Freakshow knows how to overshadow people so what could have happened...?

Speaking of things going black, as my ghostly night-vision adjusted to the space around me for a split second I thought I was back in Vlad's castle. This room was decorated in a similar Victorian fashion with a large canopy bed only everything looked way more Gothic, dark, and sinister.

The bed had red velvet blankets and the curtains from the canopy itself were made of lace designed to look deceptively like spiderwebs with spiders and bats designs woven into the thin airy fabric. That is, provided it WASN'T made of actual spider silk. There was a long ornate chest at the foot of the bed too that looked about the right size to keep his old staff with all sorts of images carved into the wood like men and women in robes holding books with thorns coiled around them and ghosts fleeing from their power and some ghosts even chasing the others off and following the commands of the person in front of the group holding a staff of their own although this one was designed to look like a crow, not a bat...

Did that mean the staff's shape changed depending on who owned it or gave it their blood? I wasn't sure, but either way, I swallowed hard after realizing I was in what was probably Freakshow's bedroom which was bad news for me either way. But where was this exactly aside from that? Was it on his train? It certainly felt like it since there were no windows in this room at all. And this is going to sound weird but it also...smelled like him. I remember him wearing this really odd cologne that reminded me of dead roses and incense. Sam wished his parents would let him get an incense burner since he liked the aromatherapy aspect but sadly he had to settle for scented candles.

Almost as soon as I thought about his candles, I heard someone snap their fingers and all the black, purple, and red candles in the room suddenly lit up and I heard footsteps. Whirling around, I glared up at Freakshow as he sighed contently, "Ah that's much better! My mother taught me that candle lighting trick, she was quite the little Wicca in her day and ran the fortune-telling booth. You'd be surprised how such simple magic can awe the masses if you use it creatively enough. Not to mention it comes in handy when lighting a room like this without having to light each candle yourself. Such fond memories..."

"Did she predict the future where you became a ghost and a total psychopath? Might have been a good idea to raise you a bit better if she knew what you were going to beco-!?" I began but I recoiled when the cuffs on my wrists actually started to burn the skin beneath my gloves and boots without effecting my hazmat suit at all.

"Silence! Do NOT insult my family that way girl! She was many things, but never a poor mother. Well, unless you count paying more attention to ghosts than to her own son but that is beside the point..." Reaching down to pull me up by the chains between my wrists, Freakshow sighed, almost sounding disappointed as he continued, "A shame I wasn't able to use Blood Blossoms instead of these things, they hurt ghosts much more and you would have looked more beautiful wreathed in their red petals and dark purple thorns. As you can surmise, however, they hurt me now too so I had to get a bit more creative and use another fragment of my old staff to keep you from escaping. Alas, it couldn't be helped."

Letting go of the chain, I collapsed to the floor again, hugging my wrists close to my chest as I waited for the pain to subside as I glared up at him again, my eyes glowing bright green. "You'll never get away with this Freakshow. I'm onto your tricks now and you may have been able to control me before but I won't fall for it again! And if you plan to torture me into submission I've been through plenty of pain fighting ghosts already so I can take it. You're not going to-"

"Perish the thought, my pet!" Freakshow exclaimed, looking appalled and insulted by the idea of using torture, "I would never dream of ruining that lovely form of yours by marring it with such crude methods-"

"_...I'm not like those villains you see in the movies who entrap helpless women and make them dependent on them through the crude use of Stockholm Syndrome. I find such methods barbaric..."_

I blinked in surprise as that memory flashed across my mind from back when Vlad tricked my parents into leaving me with Vlad after he drugged me and made me sick by mistake. I shuttered at the similarities despite myself and it wasn't until now that I remembered how possessive Vlad could be. The fact that Freakshow shared this trait kind of unnerved me, not gonna lie. But at least Vlad was trying to change, trying to be better and to give me more freedom to choose to be with him. Only, given how he killed Freakshow because of me and that's why I was in this situation I had to wonder if staying with him was such a good idea anymore.

Noticing my sudden silence Freakshow knelt down in front of me and smirked, "Oh my, did I strike a nerve? Well, no matter. To answer your question I don't really have to do much of anything to take control of your mind once again since I already have what I need right here." Reaching into his vest, he pulled out a small crystal in the shape of a perfect prism and dragged its edge lovingly down my cheek, his smile widening as I reflexively jerked away before he could cut me with it.

"You should feel honored, this is the first time anyone in my family has forged a new staff in centuries and your blood is going to make an exceptionally powerful one. Its power will be as much a part of you as you are of it so it won't feel much different than the bond you share with lover boy. It will give you every reason to want to stay with me because with it I can show you a beautiful world of darkness, pleasure, and insanity just like before only infinitely better!" Freakshow laughed before glancing at the crystal in his hand and turning it with his fingers, admiring the way it shone in the dim firelight of the candles he lit, "You forget my pet, that I simply redirect a ghost's existing desires so they feel compelled to serve me and in return I give them rapture and free them to express their more wicked nature. And your dark side was exceptionally beautiful and fun to watch at work so perhaps this time I'll bring out more of that part of you instead of the one who wants to be guided since you feel so lost trying to play hero by yourself when no one thanks you for it. But I'll be sure to show my gratitude...in many wonderful ways. Ah and don't worry about Lydia this time, I'll remind her of her place because frankly, I've had enough of her possessiveness myself which is ironic since I used to relish it. I'd much rather enjoy being the new center of your world once you forget all about Vlad the Impaler..."

He trailed off to let those words sink in and I grew pale. Freakshow was going to make me forget Vlad completely this time? No! No, I couldn't let that happen! I just barely remembered him! And through him I was remembering who I was but if I lost all of that-

Thinking fast, I launched myself at him to knock the crystal out of his hand but I didn't bother going after it when he scrambled up to his feet and I took a risk or rather hoped this would work and transformed my legs into a spectral tail so the chains on my ankles would fall off so that was one less thing that could hurt me. Shortly after I phased through the doorway I saw Freakshow come in from and the wall outside so I could reorient myself. It was dark outside but I could smell trees and see the bridge Sam fell from in the distance so we were off the tracks but somewhere I was somewhat familiar with. How he got a train out here though I had no clue, but sadly...I was about to find out.

I yelped when my wrists started burning again but I forced myself to keep flying despite the pain shooting up my arms and I flew straight for the bridge. If I could just get there and follow the tracks back to Amity Park I would be able to make my way back to Vlad and my friends. Not wanting Freakshow to spot me I tried to turn invisible which to my surprise actually worked except...damn it these darn cuffs were still draining me and glowing like a neon sign so I was forced to turn visible again. My vision blurred a bit but I shook my head and kept going until I heard what sounded like wings coming after me. But why would there be-!?

Whirling around again, I saw Freakshow's train heading straight for me only it had large leathery bat wings and he left the other train cars behind down below to reduce the weight slowing him down. To make matters worse, I saw him standing on top of it with Lydia before he pointed at me and bellowed, "After her! Don't let the ghost girl escape!"

Wasting no more time after that I flew towards the bridge again, pushing the limits of my speed during flight to get as far away from them as possible because I couldn't fight while bound like this. I tried to form an ecto-energy ball or something to fling at them to slow them down but the moment I reached for any of my more advanced ghost powers the cuffs started to burn so bad it almost felt like I had slipped my arms into molten lava and burned my flesh down to the bone and it became impossible to focus. It took me longer than I would have liked to recover and I saw Lydia closing in on me before she summoned a ghostly snake from one of her tattoos and made it as large as a boa constrictor and it slithered through the air towards me, jaws open wide in a loud hiss before it managed to catch up to me and snapped its tail like a whip and knocked me out of the air.

I tried to right myself but I wasn't fast enough so it began to coil itself around my body and squeezed so tightly that I felt like my bones would start to crack any second. I-I couldn't breathe and started seeing stars even as my gaze was filled with nothing but the night sky until Freakshow's train began to descend on us from above. Lydia was grinning as she watched me struggle to get free and gasp for air and that's when all of a sudden she started to glow red and screamed silently, forced to make her snake stop squeezing so hard as Freakshow bellowed, "I need her alive you stupid bitch! Don't make me repeat myself again or we're through, do you hear me!? If this happens again next time I'll put YOU in chains and let rich boy reduce you to a puddle of ectoplasm as a parting gift instead of saving your sorry ass!"

Releasing his power over her, Lydia shrunk back meekly and floated away, shooting me one last glare before retreating further back while Freakshow flew down to where I was coughing and greedily gasping for air even though the ghostly snake was still squeezing me tightly and narrowed his lidless red eyes at me. "So much for playing nicely. I was going to give you a chance to make this relatively painless but it looks like you've chosen to do things the hard way. Now, you're going to have to suffer through the ritual the old fashioned way. It really would have been in your best interest to behave yourself, girlie. However, I can't have you running off again so if pain won't keep you from doing anything stupid, maybe this will..."

Biting his lips with his fangs to draw ectoplasmic blood, Freakshow muttered something in a language I couldn't understand and then pulled my head back sharply by my hair but when I opened my mouth to protest his bloodied lips forced themselves onto mine and I struggled to get away but it was no use. I was still recovering from not being able to breathe so instinctively I swallowed the ectoplasmic blood against my better judgment and gasped when he finally broke the kiss. With my hands pinned by the snake's coils, I couldn't make myself cough up the disgusting stuff but that didn't stop me from trying! I thought of every gross thing I could, trying to make myself throw up, but I was in too much of a panic to think of anything that might work so it wasn't long before whatever he did started to take effect and I began slipping away into a lethargic stupor and went limp, my green eyes slowly turning red as a familiar trance overwhelmed my senses.

Once he was certain I was under control again, Freakshow snapped his fingers and Lydia's snake unwrapped itself from around me and shrunk before returning to its true form as nothing more than a simple tattoo. And before I could slip from his grasp, Freakshow grabbed the back of my head and pulled me towards him, his arms wrapping around me instead then my mind barely registered it as his voice slowly morphed into Vlad's and he whispered in a low sensual voice, "There's no escaping your destiny, my dear. You belong to me and I am never letting you go..."


	39. Cruelty

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: _Warning, bloody scenes ahead._** Also, I'm surprised I managed to get a chapter done but we've had a rough few days so I'm not sure when the next update will be. Wish me luck either way finding time to catch my breath.

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**Chapter 39:** Cruelty

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Freakshow's POV

That spell I used on the ghost girl worked more flawlessly than even I thought it would. She fell fast and hard under its influence which surprised me, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I wasn't sure it would actually work at all now that I'M a ghost too so it was excellent news that it did work either way! But, since there was no telling how long the illusion would last I had to act quickly while she was still enthralled by it and saw me as her beloved rich boy. That, and it gave me an excuse to steal a taste of her sweet lips, and that alone was worth taking a risk for...

Not unlike before when I wasn't giving her orders using my old staff, the dear girl was as docile as a sacrificial lamb and she looked radiant as she sat there idly before me, silent and still like a porcelain doll with the firelight catching in her raven black hair and her half-laden eyes glowing dim red like dying embers. I must admit that I haven't actually seen her human form before, and now that I have I could see why rich boy was so smitten with her. The ghost girl was young, shapely, and strong-willed which is why the previous escape attempt almost impressed me now that it was over and she was in my clutches again.

More than anything I wanted to see her glorious dark side strike fear into my enemies and thought of using her against her own lover brought a smile to my lips. And once the new staff was complete Dani's very soul would belong to me and she would follow my every command, enraptured and unable to resist any longer since she would be bound to it by blood and its power to control ghosts in equal measure. But for now, I had to rely on older magic tricks to keep her subdued until the ritual was complete. All I needed to do was gather enough blood first to infuse inside of a new power source and watch the ghost girl carefully to make sure she didn't accidentally die from blood loss.

To be fair, what I told rich boy WAS true. In most cases when it came to using blood magic, most of the time the spells only needed a few drops of blood to work but I was taking no chances this time since there wasn't much time left before he undoubtedly tracked us down. Besides, I want this new staff to be far more powerful than the last one so I could do more than just control ghosts with it. Unfortunately I've gotten a little out of practice using my family's old magic but if this has taught me anything it's that I need to do more than just dazzle other ghosts to make them follow my commands, I need to take full command of the stage by using ALL the power at my disposal, old and new, to keep them under control.

Or, more specifically keep HER under MY control.

Stroking Dani's cheek with the back of my hand, I glanced down at the fangs of Lydia's ghostly bat tattoos brought to life penetrating the skin on her wrists to draw enough blood to gather in the two bowls on the floor but then I noticed how they suddenly tightening, making the ghost girl hiss in pain. I really was going to have to do something about Lydia's jealous fits if even her minions were reflecting those same possessive feelings. This grudge she had against Dani Phantom was getting ridiculous and earlier Lydia could have ruined all of my plans by suffocating her. We had a long history and up until now she's been a loyal servant and a fantastic lover but things have changed.

I am no longer human, so now I didn't necessarily have to rely on Lydia's powers in addition to whatever ghost servants I managed to ensnare. And frankly, up until now they have only included the ghosts my family had already had enslaved since ghosts are, or were rather, uncommon and difficult to simply stumble across. That's when I heard the rumors about a town brimming with ghosts and a powerful one who fought others of her kind I knew exactly where to perform my next show. It had been easier than expected to lure her in and yet I never expected to discover that this ghost was a hybrid of sorts who was still alive and half-human. I also didn't expect her to have allies or friends either. Then let's not forget the fact that I've been killed by her ghostly lover who was also a freak like she was...

"Vlad...why are we...doing this again?" Dani suddenly asked, her voice small and barely above a whisper as her eyes started to roll slightly.

Relying on the spell to help me adopt his mannerisms and guide my words so I'd know what to say, I smiled and stroked her hair back as I leaned down to nuzzle her cheek and whispered, "_Because my dear, you were poisoned. Don't you remember? We have to flush the venom out. It will all be over soon, just bear with me a little longer..."_

Shivering, Dani whimpered, "I...don't remember. Vlad, I'm...kind of scared."

"_Shh, hush my love and try not to think about it. I'll fix everything and soon you won't have to worry about anything ever again. Trust me,"_ Feeling bold, I turned her head to face me and kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of her lips like a perfectly aged wine. She moaned and followed me with her head as I broke the kiss somewhat reluctantly because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop there if we went any further. There would be plenty of time for that later and besides, I wanted to see how seductive she could be once I awoke her dark side and let it take over.

It wouldn't be much longer now. I almost had enough blood to begin the ritual with and I wanted lover boy to see how powerless he was to stop me. It would make victory all the sweeter. Especially if I managed to glamour him to look like me and set her loose on him. Oh, that would be very poetic indeed! Still, if I wanted to do that I'd need to stop draining her soon so with a sigh I snapped my fingers to summon Lydia and ordered her to recall her specters.

She did so without question given how I reprimanded her last time which was good, Lydia should know where she stands if she hopes to remain by my side. I didn't really need her anymore but then again it might be fun having two lovers instead of one for lonely nights. At least now that I didn't have to eat or sleep we could revel in it and experience many new ways of making love. Well, Lydia and I could at least. We'd still have to make sure we fed Dani properly to keep her alive so I would have plenty of human blood to perform the spells I know DID only work with it such as the ritual to make a new staff. Everything else I would still have to test out but soon we would have as long as we needed to find out what the limits to our power were.

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Vlad's POV

I despised the idea of relying on mere children for help, but Danielle needed all the help she could get and they had more information on Freakshow's more recent schemes than I did and we needed to narrow down the places he could have taken her. My guess is Freakshow would pick somewhere familiar since he WANTED to be found to rub controlling her again in my face. But at the same time, he needed somewhere isolated to prepare this barbaric blood ritual of his.

Speaking of which, given what he told me about his family history I was able to track down the tome Freakshow spoke of that I bought from his family and to my surprise, it was one I used rather a lot. I had my supercomputer in the new lab at my soon to be home here in Amity Park send a digital copy of the manuscript so we could find out what the exact ritual he planned to perform was. That is unless it was only passed on through oral tradition, in which case this whole search was pointless. I had my vultures searching too but I seriously doubted they would find anything useful.

I must admit, if only reluctantly, that Samson was surprisingly knowledgeable on matters of the arcane. And on the opposite side of things, despite having limited access to any advanced technology Danielle's friend Trish was rather resourceful and a skilled hacker so she even managed to track down some secret files hidden in the database of the Guys in White. Not that it surprised me, for government agents they were incredibly stupid and didn't really know the first thing about ghosts beyond the obvious. It's no wonder Danielle worked so well with these two, they had a lot to offer short of actual combat experience but knowledge can help just as often as an ecto-gun in some cases depending on the enemy they faced.

Either way, with our combined efforts we managed to at the very least come up with some idea of what Freakshow's plans were and after that, I took charge of the rest of the planning. That is until a certain Gothic brat decided to undermine me...

"Hold on, who died and made you the boss?" Samson glowered, snapping his book shut since we were currently convening this meeting of ours in secret in his home since his parents insisted that the hospital was no longer safe after that _'gas leak'_ and had a private doctor double check to make sure the boy was stable enough to come home. I slipped in unnoticed after they left and Miss Foley came out of hiding as well since she snuck into his room a bit earlier.

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed, "Still quite the comedian I see. Regardless, you forget my boy that I have over twenty years of experience dealing with ghosts compared to your menial half a year or so with Danielle. I could have easily done this research on my own but-"

"Oh, would you two shut the hell up? I'm trying to pay attention to this," Miss Foley snapped, shooting us both a hard glare before turning back to the laptop screen. "Honestly, if you want to duke it out take it outside because in case you haven't noticed, at least ONE of us is still trying to find a way to help Dani instead of having a pissing contest! I hacked into the camera's they still have installed near the train station where Circus Gothica was but I haven't seen anything yet. But something tells me that being the egomaniac he is Freakshow went back there to get a few things once he was...ghostified."

"Ghostified? Seriously Trish?" Samson pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "I know its scary to think about but there's no point in sugar-coating what happened to him, Trish. We already know about the murder so don't try dumbing it down with weird words, it doesn't really help." Sighing he reached over to pat her shoulder and added more gently, "Hey, we're going to find her ok? It's not your fault she got snatched so don't try doing everything by yourself. Sadly this sort of thing happens all the time with Dani and she's always playing the lone wolf just like you're trying to. But Vlad's right about one thing, Dani's won't fall for the same trick twice so Freakshow's going to have a hard time brainwashing her this time. We'll find a way to get her out of there, somehow..."

Still looking unconvinced Miss Foley explained worriedly, "Sam, you still don't get it. Dani said she doesn't remember much about herself yet and I could tell she really meant it so I have a bad feeling she wasn't as prepared for whatever Freakshow had up his sleeve as she led us to believe. Besides, you weren't there when that creep grabbed her. Dani looked seriously freaked out and that almost never happens anymore since Dani's gotten so much better at fighting ghosts. But this guy wasn't a ghost, not at first, he was a psychopath with all sorts of bizarre magical voodoo that seriously messed with her head and we didn't notice what was happening until it was almost too late! I'm just not so sure we've got what it takes to go up against someone like that now that he's a ghost. Not without someone more capable of actually fighting around, that's just suicidal. Vlad's right, he's an old hat at this so if we're going to help Dani you two need to knock off this whole jealous boyfriend business and focus on what's really important!"

Both of us blushed a bit at this accusation but I for one was shocked that they had already guessed as to why I felt so strongly about protecting Danielle. Was I really being that obvious? I will have to be more careful from now on. But at least they didn't know that I was the one who killed Freakshow otherwise they would have been much less willing to trust me. The only reason they trusted me now was because she did and it warmed my heart.

That being said, I cleared my throat and pointed out, "I don't know where you got the impression that I view Danielle as anything more than like a daughter or a niece to me but I can assure you that I only care about keeping her safe and making sure she is surrounded by suitable company-"

I sneered at Samson who glared back at me and growled, "Yeah right, you just want to keep her all to yourself since she's the only person like you. Actually no, scratch that, she's BETTER than you'll ever be!"

"Now see here you little-?!" I began angrily when Miss Foley got fed up with us both, reached over grabbed us both by the ear and scolded us again.

"See? THIS is exactly what I'm talking about! Protective uncle or not you need to KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW! You too Sam! The longer we take squabbling like this the longer that monster has to do bad things to Dani! God, boys are such idiots no matter how old they are!" Bonking our heads together for good measure, Miss Foley let go of our ears and returned her attention to the laptop on the bed as she searched the security tapes for any signs of Freakshow.

I was about to open my mouth to reluctantly agree to a truce when Miss Foley gasped and waved us over, "Guys, I see something! Look!"

Turning the laptop so we could all see it, we watched as two figures appeared and approached each other. My eyes widened when I saw Freakshow's ghost form for the first time since it looked disturbingly like mine but with a few key differences. He was carrying a familiar red cape draped over one arm and we watched as the other ghost, Lydia, dropped all pretenses and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace as if shocked that she had actually found him. Shortly after she was about to accept her cape back when Freakshow grinned and whispered something in her ear. She frowned but nodded and after that, they both flew off in the direction of his abandoned train.

Then, after pulling out a shard of his staff, he did something to it after muttering a few words and suddenly large bat wings unfurled from both sides of the train which lifted it into the air along with several of the train cars which sported smaller wings. We could hear his insane laughter before Freakshow took Lydia's hand and they phased inside the train, flying off in the opposite direction. Well, this told us how Freakshow reunited with Lydia but not where they were now. Not unless he was stupid enough to hide in the same forest I found Danielle in on the opposite side of the tracks.

Then again, who would expect him to return to the scene of the crime since we're the only ones who knew Freakshow was far from finished with this town and came back as a ghost? The police probably already searched the area after finding Samson, hoping to find Danielle but when they found nothing they turned their search elsewhere, leaving that area clear. Alright now we were getting somewhere but something about the exchange before they got on the train made me suspect Freakshow had already captured Danielle. Because the last time I encountered Lydia she did not willingly part with that red cape, I took it to convince Freakshow I destroyed his lover just to scare the shit out of him. This time it looked like he meant to return it but changed his mind which led me to believe-

"Now it makes sense..." I mussed, rubbing my chin, "That ghost we saw above the hospital must have been Freakshow himself, not Lydia, which means he likely already has Danielle and used Lydia as a diversion once he captured her. Perhaps we can confirm this by hacking into the hospital security tapes instead. Miss Foley, can you do that?"

"Well, yeah but I can't keep this open if we hack into a different security system. Someone on the other end might notice me," Miss Foley admitted but it made sense given how basic this system was.

I could have done this more quickly at home, but since we didn't have time for that, with a groan I huffed, "Fine. Then can you at least pull up a map of the area?"

Miss Foley nodded and did as I asked and we took a closer look at the fairgrounds near the train station as well as the forest beyond the bridge and sure enough there were a couple of clearings that looked promising. I pointed this out to them but otherwise resigned myself to teleporting to each one until I found something. Waiting for them to find some way to travel to each place would take too long and that was time we couldn't afford to waste...


	40. Desperation

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **Alright, I'm going to skip ahead a bit since I don't want it to take forever for them to figure out where Freakshow took Dani so we'll just have to assume they finally stopped fighting thanks to Trish telling Vlad and Sam off and they tracked him down.

* * *

**Chapter 40:** Desperation

* * *

Freakshow's POV

As I suspected, the spell didn't last long but it hardly mattered anymore. I had more than enough blood to complete the ritual and while the bite wounds healed quickly due to her ghost powers no doubt it still left the poor thing dazed. Then again that might just be her recovering from the spell I cast. Either way, I was literally glowing with excitement as I waited to see the look on rich boys face when I made Dani Phantom lose her mind before his eyes, helpless to do a damn thing to stop me. I had ways of keeping him from reaching us without the use of Blood Blossoms though the process weakened me as well. That's why Lydia was here to guard us since she was the more experienced ghost.

I'm just glad her mood improved after the ghost girl passed out and I took the time to...reward Lydia for good behavior. It was very different I must say, making love as a ghost. What we felt was less physical than you'd expect yet it was far more intense as it filled us with a very different sense of euphoria. Almost as if our energy was melding together and blurring the lines between who was who as our energy merged. I could only imagine how breathless making love to a half-ghost would be since she would feel both that strange thrum of energy reverberate within and also all the fun physical stuff the human body still had to offer. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we needed to crush rich boy and then I could have as much fun with the ghost girl as I wanted...

As I phased out of the train and lightly stepped forward with Dani cradled in my arms, I smirked down at her before we flew off to the site of the actual ritual off in a clearing further into the forest. I honestly didn't need even half of this for the ritual itself but I wanted to make a show of it just to scare rich boy shitless, especially when it came to Dani's role in it. I already had plenty of her blood, but I brought an ornate dagger with me regardless of whether it was needed or not just in case. Like many things it was an artifact that belonged to my family and it had a long elegant edge almost as thin as a candlestick with roses and thorns etched into the metal, the roses of course dyed blood-red and most were carved near the hilt of the blade.

For the rest of the show I set up a circle of stones Lydia gathered for me, the largest of which had a rune carved in at each corner to keep everyone but those allowed inside out of the circle and in the center was another circle surrounded by small floating flames and a pentagram. The pentagram itself was entirely for show since it didn't actually do anything, that was a myth. Honestly, if there was a hell, I doubt mere mortals had any sway over it nor the power to call upon real demons. It almost made me wonder if heaven was real or if there was only the realm where ghosts exist and there was a reserved place hidden away where all those who had fulfilled their desires in life could live in peace...

Shaking my head, I frowned and thought that all that was rubbish. It didn't matter to me if there was a heaven or a hell because my life had already been hellish enough and the doors of heaven would forever be shut because of my crimes. I didn't care either way. I had an eternity now to gather enough power to obtain all that I desired and this time no one person, no laws, no other power could keep me from achieving my goals. Dani would once more be my angel of death and would crush my foes in ways that not even Lydia could since her power could not grow, she was as powerful as she was ever going to get unless I used magic to enhance it. But since Dani is only half-ghost, her power can grow and develop with her.

And I very much looked forward to seeing it.

* * *

Danielle's POV

"Ugh, not again. Now where are we...?" I groaned, my head throbbing as I forced my eyes open and found myself laying spread eagle on the ground, my arms and legs bound again by those freaky molten-looking chains only this time they weren't firey red but blood-red and something told me I wouldn't be able to form a spectral tail again to slip out of the ones around my ankles.

"Enjoy your nap, my pet?" Freakshow cooed from where he stood above me, head resting against a metal rod I assume was to serve as the base of his new staff as he leaned heavily against it.

"Drop the act Freakshow, I know you must have done something...weird to me again. The last thing I remember was Lydia's snake trying to squeeze hug me to death then you-!?" suddenly remembering him biting his lip then kissing me I looked at him in disgust and snarled, "Oh my god, ew! You kissed me, with blood -or ectoplasm I guess- on your lips. God that's just sick and wrong!"

"Not as sick and wrong as you kissing a man more than twice your age, child," Freakshow sneered. "At any rate, you didn't seem to be complaining about it at the time. In fact, you seemed to be enjoying it rather a lot..."

"Shut it asshole, you know the only reason I didn't spit that disgusting crap back in your ugly face is because you cast a spell on me! What did you make me do this time?" I demanded, struggling against the cuffs which didn't seem to be attached to anything and yet they kept me firmly pinned to the ground.

Kneeling down with one hand on the metal rod and the other reaching down to grab my chin, Freakshow's smile only widened and he told me exactly what he did while I was under another of his spells again. At first, I wondered why he'd reveal that to me when it dawned that Freakshow planned to wipe my memories for good so it didn't matter what he told me now. The thought sent a chill up my spine but not as much as when Freakshow told me he took it a step further when he disguised himself as Vlad to lull me into a false sense of security as he slowly bled me for this ritual of his just to prolong my suffering as punishment for trying to escape. Otherwise, he was only going to cut my hand a little to get the blood he needed for the ritual and wait for Vlad to show up.

Sighing mournfully as he let go of my chin, Freakshow admitted, "Unfortunately I seem to have used up almost all of the remaining shards of the orb from my old staff to create the barrier around us, but with the few I have left it should be enough to make this a memorable night for lover boy. After all, I wanted to make this ritual look a bit more impressive than it actually is just for him. Essentially, the last of my human blood and yours will be infused into the crystal I showed you before and its power will manifest in the form of a new staff. Now then, I believe the stage is all set and all we have to do is wait for the guest of honor to arrive. Until then, enjoy your last moments as Dani Phantom my pet. Because once we're done here, you'll be whoever I want you to be."

Laughing despite how scared I actually was, I looked him in the eye and said confidently, "You poor sad strange little man, if you think you have what it takes to beat him or know the first thing about Vlad you really need to get your eyes checked. I may not remember everything, but I know that you seriously haven't the faintest clue what he's capable of when you royally piss him off. And he always has this strange knack for finding me when I'm upset or in trouble so when Vlad does find us he's going to make you regret coming back at all."

My eyes softening even though my tone remained resolved, I continued, "He told me once that we're basically soulmates. And even after you messed up my memories, I still knew him deep down in my heart so now I firmly believe that now with every fiber of my being. You can't break that kind of bond so easily no matter how many spells or tricks you use on me! And sure, maybe you can disguise yourself as him, maybe you can redirect my feelings, but none of it will EVER be as real as what I have with Vlad. In the end, even in death, you're nothing but a pathetic fraud grabbing at power. Vlad makes a living exposing scum like you and TAKING it using his own intelligence and skill, because unlike you he doesn't have to rely on cheap parlor tricks..."

"Believe what you will while you can, my darling," Freakshow hissed, standing up straight again. "Soon none of that will matter and you'll be mine once I've stripped everything from you, including the so-called bond that ties you two together. Who knows, maybe with this new staff I'll be able to control him too, or at the very least incapacitate him and then I'll make you kill that bastard in the most humiliating way possible with your own hands. Didn't think of that, did you? If all goes according to plan, I don't have to lay a figure on him when I can have you do it for me."

"What?" I gasped, paling even further as a feeling of dread gripped my heart.

Because no, I didn't think of that. I just assumed Vlad was too strong to be controlled but if he was worried about me it might make him drop his guard if I wasn't strong enough to resist the staff's power this time either. I couldn't let that happen! I wasn't going to let Vlad become a full ghost because of me! There had to be something I could do, or so I told myself but sadly...Freakshow was probably right. I was powerless like this and given my track record he would have no trouble hypnotizing me again. All this time I thought I was getting better at this, stronger, and yet I always fell short and Vlad had to make up the difference. I just wish that my last moments as myself didn't have to be spent trying not to cry in front of Freakshow.

Staring up at the stars since I couldn't look anywhere else since I was chained on my back like this I tried not to think about anything but Vlad, my friends, and the family I could barely remember as Freakshow walked away to set everything else up for this ritual whether it was actually magic-related or for show. Meanwhile, I tried everything I could to banish the shadows of doubt Freakshow's words cast over me like a dark spell already. There had to be a strong enough memory I could cling to that would help keep me sane. There had to be! But if there wasn't, I could only pray that Vlad was strong enough to beat Freakshow and clever enough to outsmart him.

I had to believe in him more than I believed in myself anymore at this point.

* * *

Vlad's POV

"Alright, are you both clear on what the plan is?" I asked as I carefully set them down after we finally found which clearing Freakshow was using for this ritual.

I had to stop myself from blindly rushing in the moment I spotted Danielle being carried to the circle of stones and bound in place by some sort of magic cuffs, but we needed to strike when Freakshow least expected it while I distracted him and he wouldn't expect to see her little friends again getting themselves involved in yet another life-threatening situation. Frankly, I couldn't believe _I_ was letting them help either but their presence here gave me a small advantage because Freakshow would only be using spells to counter facing another ghost, not humans.

It was still risky, but they were willing to do whatever it took to help Danielle and that's all I cared about. If we were lucky I would be able to at least bring one of them close enough to that circle of stones to bypass whatever protective spells Freakshow had in place to stop me from freeing Danielle. And once inside they could free her themselves. That is, provided that the counter-spell we found in that tome was of any use or just a bunch of useless hocus-pocus...

I despised the idea of allowing Samson to be the one to rescue Danielle but if he failed, I couldn't afford to. As for Miss Foley, her task was to capture Lydia in one of those thermos devices they used while hunting ghosts because that would eliminate at least one threat. Freakshow could be easily dealt with because he was a one-trick pony and not used to having powers of his own. We learned all we could about his family's blood magic and other spells so we were as prepared as we could be to counter them and as an added measure, both of them were armed with weapons from Fenton Works to defend themselves with while I had my own bag of tricks as well as a little something I brought from home.

I just hoped I wouldn't have to use it on Danielle if Freakshow...turned her against me...


	41. Wrath

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: Warning, more cussing ahead and blood. **Also, this chapter didn't go exactly as planned but meh, I might rewrite parts of it later. Just let me know if it's ok or if you're tired of Dani being the damsel in distress as much as I'm starting to...

* * *

**Chapter 41:** Wrath

(Chapter inspired by In the Dark of the Night from the film Anastasia)

* * *

Vlad's POV

Once Danielle's friends were in position and I had an invisible duplicate standing vigil over them both, I made my entrance as convincing as possible and flew forward confidently. And I didn't have to fake being absolutely furious because I was and seeing Danielle bound in the middle of that occult circle made my blood boil. But don't mistake my anger for recklessness though. I had a plan, and if it failed I was good at thinking on my feet just like my dear Danielle was. I'm sure that she fought as hard she could to free herself. Now Danielle would have to trust me to save her from this darkness, this nightmare...

In fact, it looked like Danielle was still fighting even now like the brave girl she is.

When I dared to glance down at where Freakshow and Lydia stood on either side of her I saw Danielle struggling fruitlessly against the binds, her sapphire eyes sending me a silent message since Danielle's voice caught in her throat and she couldn't speak. Another spell no doubt or maybe a normal gag, it was hard to tell from this distance. She also tried to toss her head wildly to the side as if asking me to run but there was no chance of that.

If anyone should be running, it should be Freakshow.

"Ah, so enters Vlad the Impaler! Welcome to the show, my good man!" Freakshow announced dramatically, flourishing the metal rod in his hand while Lydia drew back her hood and pulled out a dagger which she toyed with while watching me carefully, attempting to look menacing.

At their feet, I saw two silver bowls already filled with blood but there was no way of knowing whose it was. So I honestly wasn't sure if it was blood Freakshow had stored away previously before his death, or perhaps it was Danielle's blood they drew from her earlier while they held her captive. Either way, the dagger was clearly for show but fine, I'll play their little game so long as they don't try to actually use that wretched thing on Danielle.

"Is this supposed to impress me Freakshow?" I asked mockingly, gesturing at the circle of stones and the pentagram. "I was expecting something more from you after all the trouble you went through to build this up. No human skulls, no bleached bones to make the circle instead, and no ghostly minions chanting in Gregorian? Tsk tsk, so much for the grand performance I was expecting. I only hope you'll be slightly more entertaining when we fight. This will be your dance of death, for good this time, freak."

"That's _'Freakshow'_ if you please," he corrected with a coy smile, unaffected by my condescending comments. "And if you want singing, perhaps we'll get Dani to sing your final dirge once the ritual is complete and I destroy you with my new power. On a whim, I wanted to see if she could sing when I entranced her the first time, and it turns out the girl has a lovely singing voice indeed. I wonder how enchanting it will sound when she's screaming in agony...or pleasure, I'm not picky."

"The only one who will be screaming is you and those will certainly be screams of agony!" I growled, shooting several energy blasts in their direction to test the barrier and sure enough, there was a rippling glow when the blasts hit before they exploded, never touching their intended targets.

Laughing, Freakshow rapped the barrier with his knuckles and sneered, "Did you really think I'd leave myself wide open for another murder attempt? Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that. At any rate, time grows short so let's get started shall we?" Turning his back to me and snatching the dagger from Lydia he ordered, "Keep him busy."

She nodded after shooting Danielle one last pointed glare before exiting the circle and flying up to face me and one look at her told me something was different about this ghost. I couldn't place it at first until I saw Lydia spread out her limbs so her tattoos could peel off her skin and transform into her ghostly minions to attack me with and they were larger than before, more feral. Truthfully I didn't want to waste time fighting her but I needed to make this convincing so Freakshow would lose focus on his ritual by torturing his ex-girlfriend before his eyes. Because if he still cared for her at all he'd either try to stop me or try using Danielle as leverage. And if not, well, it would either prove to Lydia that he didn't deserve her loyalty or that if she wanted to keep him for herself it was better to _'let'_ Danielle and I escape.

With that in mind, I didn't hold back. Like before I expertly wove between my enemies, taking them out one by one or in clusters and then I turned my attention to Lydia as she began resorting on her own powers to keep me away from the circle while Freakshow began chanting and placed the metal rod into one of the blood filled bowls which now stood up on its own and the blood seemed to soak in through the bottom, turning the metal black and molding it like a living shadow to create the shape he desired.

The floating flames around the circle turned blood-red as well and began to tower high into the air before swirling around the staff to help_ 'forge it' _into its new form. But it wasn't until he pulled out a small crystal from his vest as the staff finished its transformation that I started to worry. That was to become the power source. As for the staff, once the transformation finished it also sported a bat-like appearance like the first only the head was facing downward along the base of the staff while the wings curved upwards, ready and waiting to lock a new power source in place.

Danielle seemed to sense it too and tried desperately to warn me when at long last, it was time for me to enact the next phase of the plan so once Lydia was close enough, I snatched her by the throat and dove towards the barrier, pinning her against it. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and she turned her head to look at her beloved, asking for help, but instead, he turned around and shouted angrily, "Lydia, I need more time damn it! Don't let that pathetic worm beat you again you useless wrench! Fight harder!"

I resisted the urge to smile victoriously when my distraction worked flawlessly and finally Samson was able to sneak close enough to the circle to move one of the large runed stones out of place while I kept him invisible with my duplicate. But as expected I was forced to recall it when I felt the remaining wards repel my presence. I was, however, able to whisper in his ear, "_Make this count."_

Nodding silently he rushed over to Danielle's side whose eyes grew wide and fearful seeing him since Freakshow was still so close by. He ignored her though and set to work whispering the counter spell to remove the bindings. Samson started with the ones at her wrists which glowed brighter red for a moment before turning green and disintegrating. Then he moved to the ones at her ankles while I distracted Freakshow more by electrocuting his sole minion to the point that we could smell burnt cloth as her trademark red cloak caught fire.

"You see? Now that he has her he doesn't need you," I jeered, pressing her back harder into the weakened barrier to make it seem like it was sheer force breaking and not sabotage while Samson was busy freeing Danielle. "So I'll give you a choice, run now or perish for the sake of a man who no longer loves you. I only want what's rightfully mine and your '_master'_ may escape with his afterlife yet if only for now. Nod if you agree, otherwise I'm not stopping."

Glaring at me defiantly, Lydia shook her head even as the flames began licking the back of her neck so with that I decided to end it. So I reached back with my other hand, intending to phase my hand inside to crush her very core when Freakshow shouted again.

"ENOUGH! Must I do everything myself?!" Snapping his head to the side, Freakshow snatched the unfinished staff and with the crystal, in his other hand he angrily tossed it into the remaining bowl of blood and in a warped almost demonic voice he chanted the last words of the ritual spell. "_Nunc sit immersa cum sanguine sacrificii purpurea luce refulsit tamquam perenni servitio tenebras animae tenebantur, ut speculetur in potentia!_" which roughly translated into "_...and now let it be merged together with the blood of the sacrifice, let it be as a crimson light that shines in the darkness binding the soul in eternal servitude as they gaze unto its power!_"

I shielded my eyes from the bright red flash and let go of Lydia who crumpled to the ground, meanwhile in the background, Danielle finally found her voice and shrieked, "VLAD NO! GET OUT OF HERE! IT'S A TRAP! HE'S GOING TO-!?"

I didn't see it happen obviously since I was covering my eyes, but Samson managed to shield Danielle's eyes from the light as well by pushing her down and hugging her head close to his chest. Unfortunately, though, the binding spell Freakshow cast quickly took effect on her, binding Danielle's mind to the staff's power source as her blood and it became as one. By the time the light faded and the crystal grew to form a large thin prism, making the staff look almost spear-like, Danielle had also changed into her ghost form and she violently tossed him aside til he rolled to a stop outside of the circle either to reject him or protect him from her I wasn't quite sure.

Gripping her head, Danielle stood up and staggered a bit until she threw her head back to stare blankly at the cold unfeeling stars and her white hair suddenly burst into flames, becoming flames themselves and her eyes were enveloped in a solid red glow. Freakshow didn't even need to audibly give her commands, the staff connected them directly with their minds so all he had to do was point at me and with a savage cry Danielle charged a ball of red energy at me and while I was still stunned it hit me square in the stomach and I was knocked out of the air.

Sadly the plan had gone array as I feared it might but thankfully Miss Foley suddenly made a very bold move and burst into the clearing, pointing the thermos we meant to catch Lydia in at her and Freakshow and it began pulling them inside. Unfortunately, Freakshow stabbed his staff into the ground to use as an anchor and only Lydia was captured since she was too weak to fight back anyway. After the thermos stopped pulling at him, Freakshow straightened himself up to glare at her and was about to attack when Samson also did something reckless while I was fighting Danielle now who came after me like a wild animal and he tackled Freakshow around the waist, causing him to lose his grip on the staff though it was still sticking out of the ground.

"Trish, the staff! Get the staff!" Samson shouted but Freakshow was quicker and phased out of the boys grasp to snatch it again just before she could and swung it in a large arc, slashing her across the shoulder.

She fell to her knees, cradling the wound but I couldn't be bothered with them anymore. They were on their own until I either knocked Danielle out or helped her come to her senses. I had always wanted to see her fight for myself now that she was stronger but not like this. Danielle's attacks were ruthless and savage like she wanted to make me suffer and it unnerved me but I kept dodging them. I couldn't attack her like this even to defend myself, it was too risky. Besides, she had suffered enough at the hands of that cruel bastard...

Waving his staff to bind the two teens together with the same magical chains he used on Danielle, Freakshow slapped Trish with the back of his hand, knocking her unconscious and then glared venomously at Samson, snarling as he uttered this dark promise, "I'll deal with you two later..."

After that he flew up to where I was engaged in battle with Danielle and raising his staff higher, he bellowed, "It's over now rich boy! I've won! She's mine as long as I have this staff and we are bound together in both body and soul! Here, I'll prove it! Hurt me and she'll feel my pain tenfold! All I have to do is utter a few more words and-" muttering the spell to himself, Freakshow twirled the dagger he took from Lydia earlier in his hand and despite knowing it would cause him pain too he slashed it across his stomach in a quick motion just enough to break the skin and draw blood and to my horror Danielle yelped and the fabric of her hazmat suit was literally torn as if by invisible hands exactly where Freakshow cut himself.

"Danielle!" I cried, hoping that the pain would somehow snap her out of her trance but instead, after gliding a had across the wound which was bleeding out red ectoplasmic blood, Danielle's solid red eyes bore into mine and she flew at me again with both her hands charged with ecto-energy.

I quickly realized I had no choice but to act and I was about to when Freakshow shot a beam of light at the moon above us, turning it red and all of a sudden it became much harder to stay focused. The red light was all around us now but for Danielle's sake, I couldn't fall under his spell no matter the cost. Because if I did it would be the end of both of us. So, after biting my lip hard to snap myself out of the momentary daze, I threw my cape around me and teleported.

Danielle looked around for me wildly but when I finally reappeared, as a last ditch effort to break the spell on her I put my faith in something I hadn't truthfully felt in a long time. True love. That's why instead of attacking her or knocking Danielle out with a punch to the gut, I pulled her flush against me and claimed dominance of her lips. Danielle's eyes widened in shock and she tried to resist, to tear herself out of my grasp but I refused to let go. This wasn't blood magic, at least, it wasn't meant to be, but I was surprised when Danielle's tongue flicked towards the bite wound on my lips and I felt her shiver as something about it registered in her mind as familiar. But it wasn't my blood that was familiar, it was my aura, my presence, and before long Danielle's arms went limp at her sides and her brow furrowed as a look of confusion flitted across her face.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR DRONE?! KILL HIM! KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Freakshow shouted, pouring more energy into his staff so that the entire area was bathed in bright red light, but then something miraculous happened.

When I pulled away from our kiss, I saw Danielle's red eyes turn green...and then a soft sky blue and for whatever reason I felt a power unlike anything I've felt before wash over us like a cool spring rain, washing the corruption away. I could feel Danielle's heartbeat racing, feel distant echoes of thought reaching for me as if she was looking for someone to save her from drowning and so I did, I reached for her hand in my mind's eye and the moment I did we were enveloped in a pale blue light.

Then, her fingers intertwined with mine and Danielle's eyes slowly changed back to their ghostly green luster and her flaming white hair also floated down gently around her shoulders and she smiled warmly at me, "Vlad...thank you."

Down below us, Freakshow's staff also responded to the change in her and the crystal turned green then red cracks started to form. Desperate to keep it from breaking, he glared up at us and shouted defiantly, "THIS ISN'T OVER! I'LL BE BACK FOR HER, JUST YOU WAIT. YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED!"

He angrily snatched the abandoned thermos from where it was sitting at Miss Foley's feet, intending to free Lydia from it but then he hesitated, reconsidering and then lazily dropped it, kicking it to the side like a piece of trash as he muttered, "Bah, who cares about that pathetic wretch anymore? She's totally useless...let her rot in there for all I care!"

Whistling sharply, we heard the sound of wings as Freakshow's train flew over the trees and dove down into the clearing and he phased inside or intended to anyway. I however, wasn't letting him get away so after laying Danielle down beside her friends after once the spell on her was broken and she sagged to the ground, hugging her stomach as it continued to bleed freely and she leaned heavily against her bound friends and asked if Samson was alright, I teleported right to Freakshow, snatched the staff right out of his hand and kicked him in the gut.

Freakshow doubled over in midair and while I wanted to do far worse to him, after glancing down to make sure kicking him hadn't hurt Danielle, my red eyes bore into his wide fearful ones and I whispered in his ear, "I told you that you would pay dearly for hurting Danielle. And I meant it. I'll admit that I did not foresee you becoming a ghost so I do take some responsibility for that. However, now...I think I'll destroy your very soul so you can no longer hold power over her ever again. Goodbye, freak." And before he could protest I plunged my hand into his chest, my power reaching for his ghost core and once my hand clasped around it Freakshow started thrashing uselessly, trying everything he could to escape from me. But if he turned intangible so did I and I poured all of my hate and malice into one final attack to vaporize him.

His death cry was almost inhuman as he howled and the staff in my hand sported more cracks until at last it shattered and turned to ashes while Freakshow himself dissipated into a fine red mist and drifted away as everything returned to normal. In fact, even the train behind us suddenly shuttered as the wings dissolved and crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud. I'm just glad it was far enough from Danielle and her friends so I didn't have to swoop in and save them. Either way, unless Freakshow knew how to come back again it was finally over.

Danielle was safe again...

...for now.


	42. Starcrossed

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **To "_GiselleVera" _thanks for your last review, that sounds like a pretty good idea for a sequel to this that revolves more around Danielle and Vlad actually training and working together for the most part except he's still grasping for power in the background so that no one will dare challenge him or Danielle again and she can stop fighting ghosts once and for all. But we'll see what happens! For now I think we're getting close to a good stopping point so thanks for all of your support guys! Hope you're looking forward to more Vlad and Danielle moments in the future! And don't worry, I have at least one more romantic chapter in store so be on the look out for that!

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**Chapter 42:** Starcrossed

(Chapter inspired by Unconditionally by Katy Perry)

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Danielle's POV

When the bonds around Sam and Trish vanished and she blearily opened her eyes, without thinking I pulled them both into a tight hug, thanking them with all my heart. I was so grateful that they were safe too and relatively unharmed. They had a few bumps and bruises and honestly, my friends still seemed more worried about me, especially Sam as he tore off part of his shirt and tried to clean the cut across my stomach. When I looked down at the wound, I was grateful that at least it wasn't that weird red color anymore like Freakshow's ghost blood and that was good news so I tried to reassure Sam and Trish that it looked worse than it felt.

Too bad I was lying though because for some reason it stung like nobody's business...

I jerked in surprise when the winged train Freakshow tried to escape in suddenly fell out the air and crashed into the ground with a huge thud. Instinctively I tried to get up to take a battle stance, but I stopped when Sam tightened his grip around my shoulders to stop me. Catching the hint I didn't go try to get up again since Vlad had things covered from what I could tell. After that, we heard an unexpected clap of thunder and the sky above us turned dark as storm clouds gathered and a steady stream of rain followed soon after.

Then, I saw Vlad floating towards us with a carefully blank look on his face. When he came close enough to us I couldn't see a scratch on him which was a huge relief and when he knelt down to examine the wound on my stomach he seemed relieved too that the cut was shallow and already healing up. Turning my head to look at Vlad I smiled at him gratefully, trying not to think about what Vlad had probably did to stop Freakshow but then...my vision started to blur and before I knew it I collapsed after a sudden wave of exhaustion coursed through my system when I realized it was truly, finally, over. I was safe and surrounded by loved ones so I let it happen. Nothing else could hurt me now while Vlad was here.

At least, not physically.

The next time I opened my eyes, I realized I was back in my bedroom and Vlad was sitting next to me reading a book. It seemed so bizarre seeing him here and yet-! Blushing suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that Vlad was HERE, in MY room, in HUMAN form. That told me only one thing, that Vlad must have contacted my parents and then came up with a clever story to tell them and the police about where I've been the past few days. Honestly, I expected to either wake up in Vlad's soon-to-be home here in Amity or in the hospital, so why was I...?

"Good morning, little badger," Vlad smiled softly, closing his book and setting it aside. "How're you feeling?"

Blinking slowly I waited for my thoughts to become clear enough to form actual words out of before replying, "Ok, I REALLY need to stop passing out like that you might have to change my nickname to sleeping beauty..." Sitting up to face him properly, I asked in a rush, "Where are Sam and Trish? Are they alright? What happened to Freakshow and Lydia? How long have I been-"

Pressing a finger to my lips to shush me, Vlad replied calmly, "Danielle, relax. Your friends are just fine, my dear. They're not exactly happy with me but that hardly matters. Their parents have grounded your friends again since they recklessly snuck out to_ 'look for you'_ after learning that you had been kidnapped by Freakshow's ghost which is, ironically, true to some extent. As for Freakshow himself, I did what had to be done to protect you so he's gone, for good this time. Lydia, on the other hand, is still _'alive'_ so to speak and likely licking her wounds in the Ghost Zone after your friends released her. But unless she has suicidal tendencies she won't be a threat to you now that her master and ex-lover is gone forever. And lastly, I'm afraid you've been asleep for three days straight now, which is understandable considering what you've been through, but it wasn't until yesterday that your parents brought you home. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"Not even close," I said point-blank, trying to wrap my mind around all of this information. "So ok, if you, Sam, and Trish blamed Freakshow for kidnapping me as a ghost to explain where I've been, why are you here in human form? What exactly did you tell my parents this time? I'm just trying to put all the pieces together..."

Unable to keep the smile from his face, Vlad explained, "It's simple really when you didn't call me, as you usually do, the other night I felt like something was wrong. And unable to shake that terrible feeling I took the first flight here and was planning to stop by your house but as luck would have it your friends found me first and I convinced them to tell me what was happening. I tried to convince them to leave the rest to me since there was no time to waste, however, being the reckless children they were they didn't wait for me to contact the authorities on your behalf but I was able to track the three of you down using my boundless resources and bravely fought against Freakshow's ghost and disposed of the fiend that kidnapped you. They didn't ask how I managed that thankfully since they were simply relieved that I found you safe and sound but..."

His eyes softening, Vlad gently took my hand in his, holding it against his cheek and admitted with a heavy sigh, "...while most of that is just my version of the truth, it doesn't change the fact that this happened because of me. I was careless, and you nearly paid the price for my mistake. Normally I never apologize for my actions, especially if they were justified, but this time I must admit I wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been. I'm so sorry about all this Danielle, I truly am. I should have protected you better. In fact, I swear I will protect you better from now on because soon the preparations finally will be finished and I can move here to be close to you. My home will always be a safe haven for you and if need be I'll make a nuisance of myself just enough to scare most of the other ghosts into leaving you alone if that is what it takes to make your life even the least bit easier."

With a sigh, I shrugged and stared blankly at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the roof of my bedroom and said, "Vlad, it wasn't entirely your fault, you just made a bad call. Believe me, I'm used to them by now. And yeah it's true that things escalated fast because of how you chose to handle that whole mess but Freakshow was...he was something I wasn't prepared to face and that asshole nearly got away with abducting me before you or my friends even knew something was wrong. Besides, I chose to protect people with my ghost powers and knew that choice would come with a lot of risks. But the thing is that those risks were already there from the very first moment I became half-ghost so I thought hey, I might as well do something about it since ghosts seemed to be appearing all around me and causing trouble anyway. Still, do you remember that offer you made to me when we first met? And how you revised it so I wouldn't have to give up my life here or my family?"

Vlad nodded, his expression mostly blank though his eyes were glittering hopefully, so I continued, "Well if you're moving here anyway maybe the best way you can keep me safe is by helping me not be so...easily incapacitated. I honestly thought I was getting better at this but-"

"Say no more, my dear," Vlad smiled warmly, nodding. "I couldn't agree more. But just to be clear, regardless of what happened with Freakshow, you are by NO means helpless. Don't believe that for one second. From what I've heard of your ghostly endeavors, you have already improved your skills in combat and with your powers considerably since the last time we saw one another and have survived far more grueling battles than this. None of us expected to face a human blood mage of sorts though. But I digress, we'll have to discuss this in more detail later. Your brother wants to talk to you and your parents will want to know you're awake. Which reminds me, now that the spell is broken...are your memories about them any clearer?"

I blinked, not expecting that question but then I when I really thought about it I muttered, "Huh, you're right...it is a lot easier to remember things now. I wonder why...?"

Kissing my knuckles before finally letting go of my hand he said, "Perhaps proving to yourself that there were still precious people waiting for you to come home helped lift a few other burdens weighing heavily on your mind. Who can say? Either way, I've already taken care of the media so they won't bother you about what happened since it was rather traumatic. And since I wasn't sure how much you remembered yet I played the slight amnesia card and explained that you might try blocking out the events of what that man did so it's best not to dwell on it. At any rate, once you've been given a clean bill of health life will go on as usual. I'll be staying in town for awhile though since I'm here anyway so should you need somewhere quiet to escape to, no one should question you coming to see me."

I nodded, a bit overwhelmed by all that info so I closed my eyes and asked, "Hey Vlad, would you mind telling Jason to come back later? Talking about all that kinda wore me out so I'd like to get a bit more sleep if that's ok? If things are going to go back to what _'my'_ version of normal is...I'm going to need all the rest I can get."

"Not if I can help it," Vlad muttered under his breath, forgetting I have ghost hearing too, before tucking me in again and petting my hair back. "At any rate, I'll let them know you're alright and just resting a bit more. I'll try to make sure your parents don't make too much noise either. Sleep well, little badger..."

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Vlad's POV

It was rather tiresome, being around Jack so much but for Danielle's sake, I grit my teeth and dealt with it for her sake. After what happened I made it clear that I worried for their town along with Danielle and Jason's safety and told them I would be moving here and taking over Axion Labs to help them deal with this ghost problem if they were becoming bold enough to actually kidnap children. They were still reeling about the fact that Freakshow WAS human and became a ghost almost right after his murder but I was thankful that I had the foresight to get rid of him not only for Danielle's sake but also so that Jack and Maddie couldn't capture and study him which could have proven disastrous.

On a side note, it was surprisingly pleasant most of the time spending time with the Fenton Family. At least Jack and Maddie thought highly enough of me after I saved their daughter's life a second time to stay on good behavior whenever I was around. They also went considerably easier on Danielle as far as punishments went and even issues with curfew because they were always more forgiving as long as she said she was visiting me because at least they knew she was safe and I would keep her on track with her homework more than her friends, although I did reluctantly invite them over to my home for a study session once at Danielle's request so they could finally talk about what happened with Freakshow clearly and get to know me better.

As expected though Samson seemed to have an inherent distaste for me he tried not to show in front of her since Danielle had enough on her plate without him pointing fingers at me. Miss Foley seemed unsure about me because of what Samson had no doubt told her but she seemed more curious than anything and asked all sorts of questions about how my powers differed from Danielle's. And finally, as for Danielle herself, she seemed...much more at ease then I've seen her in awhile mostly because word had gotten around the ghost community that Vlad Plasmius had slain a new ghost that targeted Dani Phantom and that if they wanted to avoid the same fate they should stay clear of her...

This wouldn't last forever I suppose because ghosts loved to push their luck but for now, the brief respite did wonders for Danielle's mood and despite what happened she was smiling and laughing with her friends again and I felt blessed to be able to see that first hand. Sadly we haven't had much time alone together to discuss other matters such as beginning her training with me, then there was the fact that Danielle was settling back in at school and avoiding stupid questions about what happened to her when she was kidnapped, but for the most part she seemed happy and there was this looking of longing on her face every once in a while when our eyes locked that told me she was thinking the same thing.

That's why I was beyond overjoyed when the weekend came and Danielle finally managed to get some time by herself. She told me she needed a break from her overprotective friends and her brother which was understandable and asked me to wear some casual clothes for her visit. I was confused however when Danielle adamantly refused to let me pick her up as usual in my limo and asked me to wait for her at home, aka the house I brought her to before after I found Danielle in the forest by the river on the other side of the train tracks.

I was terribly confused about her standoffish reactions and wondered, was Danielle upset with me for some reason? I've noticed lately that she's been avoiding me whenever possible and making excuses not to come over. Or maybe I was imagining it and Danielle was just busy. I resisted the urge to send my vultures to find out one way or another because I wanted Danielle to continue trusting me and she wouldn't be happy about me spying on her more than necessary but that didn't stop me from worrying why she was being so secretive...

I was running scenario's in my head when there was a knock on the door and my ghost sense went off. I knew it was Danielle though so I simply smiled, straightened my back and went to open the door. When I did, there was '_no one'_ there.

Smiling mirthfully, I looked around in all directions and sighed, "Such a pity, I thought it was my dear Danielle knocking on the door. I suppose I'll simply have to suffer this loneliness awhile longer..." trailing off I shut the door behind me and it wasn't until it was fully closed and I tried to turn around that I felt a familiar pair of cool hand reach up to cover my eyes.

"Ah, ah, wait a second! Don't turn around yet! I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and no peeking!" Danielle urged, her tone playful and insistent which helped me relax a bit. So that's why she's been avoiding me. Danielle knew I'd spoil whatever surprise she had in store if I was around her long enough to observe the obvious signs.

"I half-expected you to say boo or childishly make me guess who you were," I chuckled, lowering her hands from my eyes but keeping them closed as requested.

"Tempting but no," Danielle groaned dramatically, "I already have to deal with the Box Ghost bursting in on me yelling _'BEWARE'_ in my ear almost all the time so I don't do that anymore even as a joke since it reminds me of him. Besides, you'd know who it was even if I didn't say anything. You always do..." Pausing for a moment to make sure we were alone, now that I was facing her again even with my eyes closed she floated up a few inches to reach them and kissed my lips gently. Then, taking my hands in hers she whispered softly, "Vlad, do you trust me?"

Puzzled by her question, I said, "Of course I do, but what does that have to do with-"

Squeezing my hands and holding them close to her heart, which I could feel flutter nervously in her chest, Danielle explained earnestly, "Everything, it has everything to do with it. Besides, part of the surprise is somewhere else but I don't want to tell you where it is. It would spoil everything. It took me forever to set this up between being stuck catching up on my homework, fighting some straggler ghosts hanging around who still want to pick a fight with me, and convincing my parents and my brother that I'm staying over at Trish's house this weekend. She's covering for me. Anyways just...take my hand and let me lead you there ok?"

"Alright Danielle, I will do as you ask," I smiled, about to transform when she started pulling on my hand before I could.

I opened my mouth to ask what was going on and she said, "You don't need to transform yet. Just follow me and phase when I tell you alright? I parked the Spector Speeder out back since it was just easier that way than trying to carry everything we need there in trips. My parents are off visiting one of the few friends they have in town so they won't miss it for a few hours. I just need to bring it back before we're done."

My curiosity piqued, I smiled and didn't question her further as Danielle led me out back and asked me to phase inside this...Spector Speeder which I assume was an invention of her parents meant to traverse the Ghost Zone. Either way, her hand never left mine and she expertly flew it one-handed to wherever we were going. We traveled for a while in a comfortable silence until Danielle landed and told me it was alright to transform now. I did so and she led me further on and I could only tell so much from our surroundings from the sounds and smells.

I could smell water and hear waves or rapids down below so were we flying over a lake, perhaps a river? The sound grew distant as we flew further though so that was clearly not our destination and the air became noticeably cooler so it must be getting dark now. Either way, once we finally began to descend Danielle led me to what seemed like the incline of a hilltop and pulled me down to sit with her, asking me to transform back to human form after she did this herself. I did so at almost the same time she did and was about to ask if I could open my eyes now when I felt something small and light brush against my cheek and heard Danielle gasp in awe.

Wondering what was going on I opened my eyes without permission and then I saw that our hands were glowing a soft ethereal blue, gentle and pale like moonlight. The energy we were giving off felt so familiar and...when I turned and looked into her eyes I gasped too. She had cut her hair into this wonderfully attractive pixie cut and Danielle was wearing a dark blue blouse with short sleeves and a frilled bottom with a lighter blue just above the hem and she was wearing a simple pair of faded blue skinny jeans and flat dress shoes. The most beautiful thing about her though was the way her eyes literally sparkled with delight as small particles of light floated all around us and our hands and they seemed to create our very own stars since night had yet to truly fall to reveal the real ones which was no doubt what she brought me here to see.

"Vlad...what is this? All we did was transform at the same time which made our energy rings touch and-" Noticing my staring at her, Danielle blushed and shyly muttered, "What? This wasn't part of what I had planned I swear!"

"I know," I smiled tenderly, leaning closer and once again kissing her knuckles after drawing her now glowing hand closer to me. "This is just proof of what I've been telling you all along, my dear. We're soulmates, and as such we have special powers together as ghosts that few can possibly imagine. And the fact that this is possible now means that you've finally opened your heart to me completely, and I, in turn, have opened mine to yours. I've only read about this phenomenon but to see it for myself and for it to be with none other than the young woman I love...now that is truly special."

Her eyes softening as the tension eased from her shoulders after hearing my response Danielle sighed, "Well, at least something good happened unexpectedly instead of bad for once. I was worried this was some sort of freaky curse Freakshow cast on us or some new power of mine going off. But you're right...this feels right somehow, familiar and warm just like I feel when I'm with you. I've actually felt this way once before. When I fell into the river and thought it was all over for me, I cried out for you with all my heart and saw this...apparition of you and it pulled me out of the water. Then it comforted me and asked me what I really wanted and what would make me happy. That's when I realized that being with you, despite the bad start we had, does make me happy and I feel safe when I'm with you. I feel like you really understand and care about me...and it's not just lipservice anymore. You really mean it."

"I felt something like this once before too," I said, my gaze drifting to the small flickering orbs of light, "While I didn't actually see anything corporal like you did I felt a presence that was like...an echo of you that led me to where you were and I would like to believe that those...phantoms so to speak were manifestation of the part of our souls bound together in ways that even I do not yet fully understand. They weren't made of ghost energy from what I could tell, they were made of something purer, like this." I inclined my head at the glowing lights and smiled at her again as I whispered, "I know this wasn't what you had in mind, but thank you for showing me something that really took my breath away. I'll treasure this memory forever."

Blushing, Danielle fidgeted slightly and coughed into her other hand as she said, "Um, Vlad? This isn't the whole surprise. Look up."

Doing so I saw stars start to streak across the night sky as a meteor shower began and Danielle rested her head on my shoulder as we watched them together in silence. That's when it struck me why she kept rushing off in such a hurry lately whenever I tried to talk to her, there probably wasn't much time left for her to set this whole thing up before the shooting stars began to fall this weekend so Danielle must have gone to great lengths to catch up on ghost fighting and schoolwork so she could safely spend this time with me, sharing something she was passionate about with very few people. The fact that she was sharing this moment with me and not her friends and family warmed my heart too...

Danielle may not have much money like I do, but this moment was worth more to me than a hundred thousand diamonds because the most beautiful ones were shining in the heavens above us and in her eyes. I had almost stopped watching the stars entirely to gaze at Danielle's serene expression beside me and she snuggled closer to me. I couldn't have been happier, or so I thought until Danielle sighed contently and wished airly, "I wish we could stay like this forever...just the two of us with nothing to worry about."

Resting my head on hers and lifting my free hand to place it over the glowing one laced together with Danielle's, I whispered lovingly, "Someday soon my dear, we will have many more moments like this. And if possible, I will get to spend an eternity with you."


	43. Date

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: **I mentioned this in the last chapter but in the show we see Danny draw a picture once so secretly I think he could be a decent artist if he wanted to be but for this story I wanted to give Danielle her own quirk outside of fighting ghosts and wanting to be an Astronaut too so, yep, she's a pretty good singer! Also, I said I was only going to write one more chapter but I'd to end this on an even number so let's just see where this takes us, shall we?

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**Chapter 43:** Date!?

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Danielle's POV

It felt so nice having things go as planned for once. I've been looking forward to this meteor shower for months now and it just seemed like the perfect way to thank Vlad for everything he's done for me. I've learned to accept the good and the bad parts of who he is because at the end of the day Vlad has proven to me that these feelings of his for me are genuine. And I have to admit it's such a relief knowing I have someone to rely on when I'm not strong enough to handle things on my own. We couldn't let what happened with Freakshow repeat itself obviously, but for the most part, I think he's learned his lesson, God knows I have...

For now though I wasn't thinking about any of that. We'd have time to worry about those things later and I wanted to make Vlad smile and know that even though I can't give him much, I want him to feel loved too. Up until now, he's only had this one-sided crush on my mom but now, as risque as our relationship was because of our age difference it doesn't change how we feel. I've been drawn to him from the start but it wasn't until he started to change for the better that I let myself trust him with my heart.

I had no idea what the future held for us but I was willing to give us a chance too. There was no reason not to. Well, almost. The whole Freakshow murder should have been a big red flag and it was but considering what he did to my friends and to me when he was still human and afterwards maybe Vlad was right. I hated the idea of putting someone else's life in my hands, however, sometimes evil can't be allowed to endure and Freakshow was evil to the core. He used me, hurt me, abused his own ex-lover, and cruelly toyed with both of us. Someone like that, human or ghost, didn't deserve my protection. And in my head, that sounds like a heartless thing to say but-

Shaking my head I curled up closer to Vlad and sighed, _Later Dani, worry about that later and just enjoy this while it lasts..._

Glancing up when Vlad started running his fingers through my newly cut hair he asked me quietly, "Tell me Danielle, what made you decide to cut your hair? Its lovely this way too of course but I am curious."

Enjoying the feeling of his hand massaging the top of my head, I replied airily, "I've been thinking about it for a while for a number of reasons. For one it makes it harder for enemies to grab me by it, faster to wash, and easier to manage. Especially when I'm in a hurry. I dunno it just felt like a good time to get it cut that's all. I can always grow it back."

"Oh no, I did not mean to imply that I dislike it my dear, in fact you look quite fetching this way too," allowing the short strands of midnight black hair slip through his fingers, Vlad explained thoughtfully, "It gives you this sort of...wild and exotic edge to your features if that makes any sense, like a black panther prowling the forest holding themselves up with both elegance and poise like any skilled hunter."

Vlad chuckled as he thought of some private joke I didn't get but then when we looked up and saw that the frequency of the falling stars had, well, fallen, I stood up from my seat on the hilltop and stretched before turning to Vlad and grabbing his hand as I smiled mischievously, "Well you're in luck because this hunter brought dinner too. It's nothing fancy but I hope you like it. Jason helped me make most of this and it can be eaten cold. I also have a present for you that phased inside a rock nearby so the critters couldn't get to it. I do the same thing with first aid kits and spare thermos's all the time. Pretty clever huh?"

Looking slightly worried about my first aid kit comment, Vlad stepped forward until he was standing side by side with me and smiled, "Yes, very clever indeed. Lead the way my lady."

The way he said that sent a shiver up my spine and I blushed but regardless I hid everything we needed close by so we didn't have to walk far. There were still a few things inside of the Spector Speeder but I wanted to let Vlad get settled before going to get them. There was a patch of dirt near the bottom of the hill that campers had cleared away ages ago and set up logs in a circle around a fireplace but since this place hadn't been used for years because of the wildlife warnings I had taken the time to clear it again myself just in case Vlad wanted to heat anything up instead of eating it cold. You could see a pile of logs and sticks nearby that I gathered just in case too for that very purpose.

Showing Vlad to the best seat, I told him to sit down and wait for a bit until I came back with the rest of the stuff. He seemed hesitant to let me go but reluctantly agreed and asked me to hurry back. I couldn't help but smile because Vlad always looked like a lost puppy when he gave me that pouty look and it was adorable! Still, I wanted to hurry back either way so I flew back to the Spector Speeder at top speed to grab what I needed and then rushed back to the campsite, and to my surprise Vlad even took the liberty of lighting the fire for us.

Setting the basket down and then going to the rock in question, I glanced at Vlad and asked him to close his eyes again. After that, I lifted his hands and placed a small velvet box in his hands and settle down beside him and said, "Ok, you can open it now!" Wasting no time, he opened the small velvet box and inside was a broach shaped like a dragon and I leaned closer to explain the gift, "I wasn't sure what you'd like so I spent my allowance on this suit broach since it felt like something that would fit your personality. Besides, Freakshow was making all those jabs about you being Vlad the Impaler that it reminded me of Dracula, also known as the Dragon so that felt more like you. You're strong and protect what's yours and you don't let anything pierce your thick scales to get under the skin so...yeah...I hope you like it. I would have made something but there wasn't enough time."

Blushing when Vlad closed the box and then kissed me softly on the cheek, he smiled and said, "Thank you Danielle, this was a very thoughtful gift."

Smiling back at him I stood up to grab our food and after that, we spent the rest of our time out there talking and laughing and Vlad even coaxing me into singing for him. I was so embarrassed but I tried to at least and sang a classic song by Kelly Clarkson, that song _'Breakaway.' _After that, I thought I couldn't get any more embarrassed until I remembered what the final surprise was as I packed up our things and Vlad offered to help me carry some of it back like the perfect gentlemen. I couldn't help but laugh though when he summoned a few duplicates and made them fly the stuff back ahead of us. I should have known by now such things were beneath him.

At least the gesture was appreciated because I was exhausted...

In fact, Vlad offered to just teleport us back but I still needed to return the Spector Speeder so I politely refused. I did, however, accept his offer of letting him fly it back to town at least and I'd do the rest on my own. I was tempted to sleep on the way back but I didn't because there were still a few things I wanted to do tonight. As fate would have it though I was barely able to keep my eyes open after we got back but I've pushed through this sort of thing before so I did what I came to do and returned the picnic supplies and the Spector Speeder before heading back out to meet up with Vlad so we could go back to his place. And I gotta say it feels much more welcoming now that it actually had more in it than just basic furniture.

Either way, it looked like the rest would have to wait for tomorrow but Vlad seemed happy and that made me happy so when we curled up in bed together after changing into our sleeping clothes, I felt content with how things went. We had all day tomorrow and I didn't have to be back home until Sunday night. There was plenty of time, hopefully, since I made sure to clear out as many ghosts from town as possible to avoid any future headaches. I could only hope things would go just as smoothly for us tomorrow too.

* * *

Vlad's POV

The following day, I decided to treat Danielle in return for last night and she stood no chance resisting my offer. I poured every ounce of charm I had into each syllable until at last Danielle's shoulders dropped and she sighed with a playful but defeated smile on her lips. "I really don't think you have to pay me back or anything but whatever makes you happy fruitloop. I'm telling you though, I'm not really as girly as I seem so a shopping trip is kinda pointless. I only got that new outfit you saw me in last night since my parents gave me a slightly bigger allowance this month just to make up for the bad stuff I went through. I only wanted to look nice when I saw you after getting my hair cut..."

Toying with her short locks bashfully, I gently took her by the shoulders from behind and said, "I know but you went above and beyond what I expected from you as far as trying to surprise me so I felt it was only right to do something in return. That was a wonderful first date my love."

"D-date?!" Danielle stuttered, "But that wasn't really a- or was it? No no I just wanted to pay you back for doing so much for me and that was all I could think to do since you're so rich and junk."

Trying to soothe her raising panic I hugged her shoulders and nuzzled against her as I chortled, "Hush my dear, I was only teasing. If you don't see that as a proper first date then I won't treat it as such. However, it was a very memorable night for me so I'm so grateful that you shared it with me, shared your beloved stars with someone other than your friends."

Relaxing in my arms she pressed herself against me and breathed, "Alright, I see your point. Whether it was a date or not I'm glad it made you happy. I wasn't sure it would be enough."

"Anything from you is more than enough," I smiled, kissing her neck and feeling Danielle's body quiver in delight in my arms. Pulling back though so as not to tempt fate, I cleared my throat and said, "At any rate, we should get going now that we've had breakfast and I'll have the limo drop us off at the local mall. If you are uncomfortable with me doting on you too much then please, allow me to buy you at least one thing and we'll call it even. I can always treat you again for Christmas or your birthday."

I was slightly taken aback when Danielle scoffed at the very mention of Christmas and glowered as she grabbed her jacket, "The best thing you can give me for Christmas is time away from my parents, they ALWAYS fight during the holidays and the presents hardly ever stay under the tree for long before mom threatens to return most of them to the store and never celebrate the holiday again until my dad admits Santa isn't real. But seeing as I've met the Spirit of Halloween I have a feeling he is real but is actually a ghost. Who knows? Also, dad usually scarves down most of Christmas dinner before Jason and I can ask for seconds and their yelling makes it impossible to watch any specials on TV. Normally I just hang out with Trish or Sam. Sam is Jewish and Trish's family usually celebrate it early so that they can spend time with their family from out of town so they only have a big dinner the night before Christmas and after and don't open any other presents. I'm lucky if I get even one thing I actually want and not another hazmat suit that's too big for me or a small ecto-gun to carry in my purse like a normal girl would carry Mace."

I stared at her for a moment, not expecting that sort of outburst but this only strengthened my resolve to see to it that Danielle was given every opportunity to treat herself for once and be a little selfish. I wanted her to have nice things and to feel like she had earned them simply by being a good person even to those who did not deserve such kindness. No one deserved to be subjected to such selfishness from their own parents and it disgusted me to hear that they even ruined something as basic as Christmas for Danielle and her brother. Oh yes, this was something that would have to change too if I had anything to say about it...

But for now, we would take this one step at a time and at the very least I wanted to see more of what Danielle's home life was like and even if she didn't have much spending money I'm certain she went to the mall with her friends often. To me this almost felt like a second date, however, I would keep a respectful distance from her and would make every effort to only appear as a doting uncle and nothing more. Still, considering everything that has happened I felt this inexplicable longing for Danielle that I haven't had in a while and I'm sure she felt it too.

That's why, before this weekend is over, I hoped that Danielle and I could finally be able to spend another night together making love without some dark shadow hanging over us like the past few times we've tried to even when she did seem to welcome my advances. No matter what it took or how long, Danielle would know that she was loved beyond the shadow of a doubt. Her presence was the most precious gift she could give me and if material gifts could not convince her of this, perhaps something more...primal could.


	44. Uncertainty

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: ****_**Warning, more coarse language than usual ahead!**_** To _"GiselleVera" _it's funny you mention Maddie-the-cat since I do have something planned for that. As for your question about clone-Dani, a lot of key elements from the show's timeline have already changed drastically in this story since Vlad is on Danielle's side instead of working against her like he is with the normal Danny so much like the character-death with Freakshow I'm afraid there will be characters she either never meets personally, meets in another way, or they won't exist, which is the case with clone-Dani and Dan. It's like this, you know the meteor shower Vlad and Danielle just saw? Well, that's actually the same one Desiree originally used to become more powerful by granting people's wishes after Danny was out of the way for a while when Sam wished they never met and he forgot about becoming half-ghost and actually wasn't anymore. And my Danielle never went into the Ghost Zone to get a present that wound up there in the show because it didn't happen that way so she met Walker later and he didn't have as big of a vendetta against her until she helped Wulf escape his men. Lastly, Vallen/Valerie in this story never became a ghost hunter because Vlad had no reason to spy on Danielle to gather data he could use to create clones with. Besides, Danielle has pretty much accepted Vlad and agreed to train with him like he wanted so there's no motive there to even make a clone. Who knows, that could change and Vlad could make her if it turns out Danielle can't have children since they're both half-ghost but I'm not sure yet and even if she was created I'd have to give her a new name since a lot of people already confuse my genderbent Danny with clone-Dani...

* * *

**Chapter 44:** Uncertainty

(Chapter inspired by I Fell In Love With The Devil by Avril Lavigne)

* * *

Danielle's POV

It wasn't until we actually got to the mall that it hit me that this was also sort of like a date but unlike before I couldn't be overly lovey-dovey with Vlad like I could when we were alone. God, it was weird to even think that when I JUST told him I wasn't that girly. There was just something about being with him that made me want to be for once. It just felt...natural to open up to him now even though in my head I knew that Vlad was still kind of dangerous. Not to me obviously, but to anyone who messed with him or with me. Of course, he had every right to defend himself and I felt like I could relax more knowing he had my back so all in all we had a good thing going now.

At any rate, this wasn't a big fancy mall and to be honest we're lucky we even have one with how small this town is in retrospect. I knew it by heart though and led Vlad to the shops I thought he might find interesting. After a while though Vlad insisted that I stop catering to what he wanted and focus more on myself since that's why we were here. It was just hard since my knee-jerk reaction was to keep my interests to myself so even setting up that picnic during the meteor shower took a lot of effort on my part to pull off without chickening out.

With a few more encouraging words though I finally did as Vlad asked and to my surprise, he actually was into videogames, if older ones, and when we went to my favorite music store I insisted he listen to a sample of Dumpy Humpty's latest album. I considered asking for that as my gift until Vlad pointed out playfully after pulling the headphones off, "My dear girl, I have billions of dollars so you can ask for something more extravagant than that. However, this album is surprisingly good and reminds me of my favorite rock band growing up so I think I'll buy two copies. Would you like me to get one for your friends as a peace offering? I'm afraid they haven't quite warmed up to me yet..."

"Vlad you don't have to-" I began when I thought better of it and sighed, "Alright, you've convinced me but no more freebies ok? I don't want to look like a spoiled rich kid."

Quirking an eyebrow at me, Vlad was about to ask why on earth I would think that when none other than Steve and some girl I didn't recognize from school came strutting in carrying a slushie and when he noticed me, the guy scoffed, "Oh gross, who let Fentina in here? I thought something smelled weird. Must be wearing essence of loser..."

Crossing my arms I pointed out, "Well if you were already smelling it before you walked in that's probably just you."

"Shut your dirty mouth slut," the girl beside him hissed.

"It's ok babe, I got this," Steve smiled cockily after handing her his slushie to stand in front of me, trying to look menacing. "I don't think I like your tone, Missy. You got something to say loser?"

Shrugging, I replied, "I have lots of things to say, but I won't because you're not worth wasting my breath on. Come on Vlad let's just go..." I said without thinking, just wanting to get out of there and stepping to the side to get around Steve.

"Vlad? As in Vlad Masters? The guy who rescued you from ghosties? What's he doing here?" Steve asked, honestly sounding surprised and looking around until he saw Vlad casually leaning against a shelf and watching us carefully.

Sidling up to her boyfriend, the girl next to him mocked, "Oh now I get it, the little whore found herself a sugar daddy. That would explain why he flew all the way here his rickety old mansion in the middle of nowhere to rescue his sweetheart. I knew Fenton was a freak but this is a whole new level of creepy even for her..."

Still betraying no emotion, Vlad straightened up, hands resting behind his back and even though he was smiling his eyes could almost burn a hole through their skulls with how enflamed they were. "I would suggest you take that back young lady before you regret it. Such crude language is unbefitting of a young lady such as yourself. It is also no business of yours with whom I spend my time with. Danielle IS my goddaughter after all."

"Hey, back off old man," Steve snarled, pushing himself between Vlad and his girlfriend. "Keep your mitts off my girl or YOU'LL regret it."

Before Vlad could start verbally lashing them more or a fistfight could break out I angrily reached for his arm and all but dragged him from the music store, ignoring the cruel jeers of the couple behind us. I felt so humiliated and angry but what they said really stung. I mean, I knew I shouldn't listen to those assholes, but at the same time, it brought back all my feelings of uncertainty revolving my relationship with Vlad...

If...we did start dating would we be able to go out in public like this or would we have to sneak around all the time? And if someone found out, would it cause a scandal and ruin his reputation? I just...didn't want to think about it; I wanted to enjoy the illusion of happiness while it lasted just a bit longer before the world did its damnedest to crush my hopes and dreams, as always.

* * *

When we settled down for a break in the food court, I barely even tasted the food Vlad bought us after I recommended the best food place short of going to the actual restaurant they had on the far end of it. He seemed worried about me but didn't press the subject of what happened so we ate our meal in silence. I should have known better than to let him bring me to the mall. This WAS a small town after all with very few places to hang out during the weekend so it should have been obvious most of the bullies from my school were here unless they went out of town for the weekend like Paul was.

Either way, I tried to unwind for Vlad's sake and stood up suddenly, declaring I needed to use the bathroom and wove through the crowd to get there. Once I was alone I took a few deep breathes and went to the nearest sink to splash some water on my face. Thankfully I wasn't wearing makeup so I didn't have to worry about smudging it or anything. I splashed my face a few more times before phasing the water off my skin since the paper towel thing was empty then made my way back outside.

The cool water helped calm my nerves a bit so since I still had a little pocket money I decided to hell with it and bought Vlad and myself a small hot fudge sundae. I mean, everyone likes hot fudge right? I had just finished paying for them when I heard a familiar voice call my name. "Dani, is that you? Wow, you really did cut your hair. Looks nice."

Turning around I saw that it was just Vallen and relaxed a little. You'd think that after his dad lost his job that one time because of Cujo and then miraculously got it back which made him a rich kid again it would make Vallen go back to being a snob, but when he heard that it was Vlad who helped his dad get his job back and that he was a friend of my family it all seemed to click so we were actually on pretty good terms now. I mean he still thought my parents were weird but at least he wasn't a jerk about it anymore and left me alone. Hell Vallen even defended me a few times after realizing that my offer to help him back then when things were down in the dumps was genuine.

"Hey Al, what's up?" I smiled.

"Nothing, I just saw you and wasn't sure if it really was you or not and I came to see how you were doing. I was really worried when I heard that creepy ringmaster guy kidnapped you. I wish I could have done something to help," he sighed, his fists clenching, "These damn ghosts just don't know when to quit do they?"

Laughing nervously I nodded, "Not really, it's not in their nature to give up easily according to my parents. I'm just glad it's all over now."

"Well yeah for now, but your parents hunt ghosts so who knows when something will happen again!" Vallen's eyes softened and he continued, "Dani, I worry about you sometimes. I mean I had my own run-in with ghosts a few months back but they're all over the place now. I just wish I had some way to protect everyone."

Shifting nervously I asked, "What about Dani Phantom? She fights other ghosts so aren't we safe as long as she's around?"

Scoffing Vallen replied, "That diva? She's only doing it to show off. If she really cared about people then she should have saved you from that literal Freakshow! I'm telling you, what we need are some professional ghost hunters around here. No offense to your parents but they don't seem to get out much."

"You've got a point there..." I admitted thoughtfully until I noticed something sticky dripping down my hands. "Oh shit, I forgot about the sundaes! Sorry, Al, I gotta go, but it was nice seeing you!"

Blinking, Vallen waved and called, "Nice to see you too Dani!"

* * *

Despite the Sundae's being almost entirely melted now, I felt a little better after talking to Vallen until I saw the look on Vlad's face. Was he...glowering? Setting the ice cream down at our table I asked, "Um...are you ok?"

"Hmm?" Vlad responded, finally snapping out of it. "Oh, no, sorry I was just thinking about those brats earlier and wish you would have let me handle them. I could have really put the fear of the Devil in them if you'd let me."

"Just forget about them, they're assholes anyway. Besides you'd be proving them right if you said anything else so I decided to get us out of there," Not wanting to go to the bathroom again to clean my hands, I pulled out a small water bottle from my bag and got some paper towels wet to wipe off the sticky ice cream on my hands, and while I busied myself doing that I said, "It's not worth it Vlad. You can't protect me all the time and at least those are just bullies from my school. I could have handled them."

"But you shouldn't have to," Vlad said, reaching for my hand but I pulled them away the moment I spotted Steve and his girlfriend again just behind where we were, besides I hadn't finished cleaning them yet so they were still sticky.

It broke my heart to see the hurt expression on his face but I just didn't want to deal with this anymore and said, "Vlad can we get out of here, please? I'd like to go somewhere we can actually enjoy ourselves. I should have known a bunch of people from my school would be here so that's my mistake, not yours so don't blame yourself. I'll be fine once we're far away from here."

"Well, alright but here-" pulling out his wallet Vlad handed me the smallest bill he had which was unsurprisingly a $50, and before I could protest he said, "-the next time you come here, use this to get those music albums you wanted. We were going to do that before those hooligans started running their mouths. I don't need one. Also hopefully this will more than make up for the wasted ice cream..." he pointed out, nodding at the small cups of ice cream soup sitting on the table. After that Vlad escorted me out and we agreed to spend the rest of the afternoon in a local bookstore since the chances of running into any cheerleaders or jockeys there was greatly reduced.

I agreed to that since it made sense but once we were inside the limo and away from prying eyes, Vlad asked casually, "By the way, who was that young man you were speaking to earlier...?"

* * *

_**P.S.**_ I forgot what I used for Dash's genderbent name so instead, I have changed Star's name to Steve for the genderbent version. Also, I was going to do the romantic scene in this chapter but wound up extending their mall _'date'_ to add some last-minute angst so the next one SHOULD be the final chapter. Ah and sorry for the super long note at the start of the chapter, it took up most of the first page so this chapter is actually pretty short. Let's hope the next chapter more than makes up for it!


	45. Epilogue: Haunted

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Danny Phantom

**Note: ****_**Warning, **_**_**sexual scenes ahead!**_ To** "**_GiselleVera" _um it was actually Star's genderbent version I named Steve that was being a bully to Danielle at the mall, I forgot what I named Dash's in this story so I decided to use someone else. Also I might do a story with clone-Dani in the future but this one is an AU just focused on my genderbent version of Danny and a slightly different Vlad. I never planned for it to go any further than that and bring in too many other characters I had to keep track of. The fact that I'm planning a sequel to this at all is a surprise too. So if you want to write your own story revolving around that idea by all means go for it! That's just not what I want to do here in mine. Also, that gauntlet you mentioned is the _"Reality Gauntlet"_ from the episode _"Reality Trip"_ from season 2 of the show and I bet you anything that Butch Hartman _'borrowed_' the idea from Thanos in the first place. Anyways, that said I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed and supported this story so far and while I could have gone on longer I'd rather end things here and start off fresh with a new story. Whether that new story is the sequel to this or another AU, who knows! Either way thanks for everything guys! Hope to see you around in the next story!

* * *

**Epilogue:** Haunted

_A soulmate is the one person whose love is powerful enough to motivate you to meet your soul, to do the emotional work of self-discovery, of awakening. **~Kenny Loggins**_

* * *

_3rd Person POV_

_After escaping the tense situation they found themselves in at the local mall, Vlad and Danielle did their best to forget all about it so they would be able to enjoy the rest of their afternoon together. As luck would have it, there was a small music section tucked away in the corner of the bookstore they went to and so Danielle happily bought the music album's she meant to at the mall before being rudely interrupted. This small uplifting event certainly helped her mood, however, in secret, both of them had a lot on their minds and felt slightly disquieted by what happened for diverse reasons..._

_For Vlad, he simply loathed the fact that there were still things that he couldn't protect Danielle from. With the way things were now, Vlad felt like he was forced to care for her from the shadows when his heart wanted to declare to the world that he had finally found his true love. Not to mention that Vlad felt a sharp pang of jealousy after seeing her with that young man, Vallen Gray. And considering how he once felt for Danielle's mother, Vlad knew that jealousy could become an ugly thing but he couldn't help himself. Vlad was just afraid of losing Danielle to someone _'better'_ for her whom she could show affection to openly._

_While he hadn't intended to spy on her, Vlad grew worried when she started taking too long and sent an invisible duplicate after Danielle and overheard most of the conversation the two of them had. It gave him an idea though that Vlad began mulling over distractedly to himself when Danielle finally returned. Either way, although things have changed Vlad felt like he needed to gain more power, over this town as well as in the Ghost Zone, for Danielle's sake. He would NOT abide of anyone daring to mock her so in the future, and whether she liked it not Vlad was going to make sure those two audacious teens paid for their careless words. Or at the very least he would stop them from spreading lies about her when they returned to school the following Monday._

_As for Danielle's concerns, she was starting to seriously worry about what lengths Vlad might go _to to_ stop the bullies from her school from harassing her. But honestly, she felt it like it was a defeat to let him. Danielle was confident that could handle almost anything they threw at her because words hurt less than physical blows from a ghost attacking her. Besides, Danielle cared about Vlad too much to let him repeat the same mistakes that would put them both at risk in the first place like when Freakshow came after them and it made her doubt Vlad would still keep his promise of letting her handle her own problems short of what she couldn't handle by herself. He was growing increasingly overprotective and paranoid which wasn't good for him, especially when he already lost who he thought was his true love under different circumstances when Maddie married another man, Jack Fenton._

_All of that aside, however, when they didn't run into anyone else unexpectedly Vlad was finally able to relax again and dote on Danielle once her mood vastly improved too as the evening wore on. He brought her to a lovely little restaurant that local food critics had nothing but praise for and it didn't even require formal attire. Admittedly Vlad would have loved to see her in a beautiful gown again like the night they danced at his college reunion where they met for the first time. Vlad smiled fondly at the memory and happily responded to her questions as she expressed at playful curiosity about his life during his teenage years after she found out he was into 80's rock music..._

_The night was young by the time they returned to Vlad's mansion in Ultra Posh Springs, and all night long both of them felt this familiar longing for touch that was difficult to repress while in public. But now, alone at last, that compulsion only grew and the door had barely closed behind them when Danielle heard Vlad whisper her name. Turning around she almost seemed to glide over to him, hands braced against his broad chest as she basked in the familiar scent of his skin and favorite cologne. _

_It was like ever since last night they could feel what the other felt, sensing intentions more than mere words, and with what little willpower was left in them both, Danielle spoke first and said quietly, "I know, I feel the same but at least let me wash up first and put my things away. I was going to wait until tomorrow but...I want you too, Vlad."_

_Needing at least a kiss to stop his head from spinning with desire, Vlad claimed her lips, craving their sweet taste before breathlessly breaking way, stroking her short hair as he replied sensually, "Thank you, I wasn't sure if I could hold back any longer to be perfectly honest. I'll await you in the master bedroom, my love. _Finally_ we can be together and forget all about the little mishap we had today. I promise, I'm going to make you feel more pleasure than those two human brats could ever dream of. Because you were right all along my dear, they're not worth troubling yourself over. _You,_ are better than them. And tonight I'll prove it once again."_

* * *

Danielle's POV

It felt like I was wading through a lucid dream as I carefully put everything away in the guest bedroom that Vlad let me use during this visit even though I've been sleeping with Vlad. My skin felt so tantalizingly warm and tingled pleasantly at the promise of making passionate love with him tonight as I undressed so I could take a quick shower. I wasn't even nervous about it anymore. I trusted him with my body and soul and knew he would take good care of me. Even when I gave into these urges twice before, it never felt right and I felt angry and lost but now I felt whole and my mind was crystal clear.

To some extent anyway...

I felt like I was weightless and detached from the world around me but it was in a good way and I wanted this feeling, this gravitating pull towards Vlad, to last as long as possible. I wanted the memory of his touch to ghost across my body until reality finally sank in once more and we had to go our separate ways once more. I wanted to have at least one more unforgettable night before I had to wait for Vlad to get everything else in order so that he'd have a valid excuse to move here for good. Well, I say for good but we've been talking about moving back to Wisconsin once I turn 18 and graduate high school but that's still a ways off...

For now, the only thing that mattered was our love.

The future could wait.

I would have preferred to make this a bit more romantic but the best I could do was dress for the occasion and surprise Vlad with my last gift which was hardly a surprise. I was that gift. Tonight I would be giving all of myself to him without holding back. I wasn't going to hesitate or worry about what anyone else would think if they knew because the only thing that mattered was how we felt when we were together. And right now, we felt the unbearable craving for touch that any hot blooded man and woman had only we were so much more than that. We were half-ghost, as such Vlad has already toyed around with using his powers to heighten the experience so I looked forward to seeing what he had in store for us tonight.

* * *

Tip toeing with my bare feet on the cool stone tiles I peeked out of my bedroom door, half-expecting Vlad to be waiting there to escort me but when I looked down I saw a trail of strange blue flowers leading to his bedroom._ Of _course_ he'd have time to do this while I was in the shower. And what's that smell? _It's_ so...nice. Is it coming from the flowers?_

Kneeling down to pick up one of the blossoms, I took a deep breath and shook my head, "Nope, these are just normal flowers. Fresh ones too. So what're you plotting this time Vlad...?"

Smiling mischievously, I transformed and floated just above the trail of flowers so my footsteps couldn't be heard and phased into the room invisibly without opening the door. An awed gasp escaped my lips and I landed softly, turning visible and not even caring. He must have had someone else set this up for us while we were out because the entire room was redecorated in midnight blue velvet's and silk curtains hanging from the roof with more of those blue flowers strategically placed inside along with soft blue lights, like the kind you find on a Christmas tree or at a party, and the way they were placed above us made it look like we were walking among the stars. Vlad meanwhile was tending to a strange plant in the corner of the room that seemed to be glowing with a light of its own which made me realize...it was probably some kind of ghost plant.

Vlad didn't even move when I walked over to him and examined the curious plant. Now I knew this was where the smell was coming from but how could I have smelled it from so far away? The scent wasn't overpowering or anything but it made me feel both relaxed and yet it made my ghostly aura glow brighter and made me feel more aware of my body and Vlad's presence beside me. It was like I wasn't sensing his ghost powers but rather...brushing against his soul and it was breathtaking. Was this an amplified version of what we felt last night? I certainly thought so and somehow the idea of finding out more about that soulmate thing he mentioned excited me.

"It took me several months to track down a specimen of this rare plant and learn how to properly care for it..." Vlad explained airily, having been exposed to its beguiling scent much longer than I have.

Then, weaving a story with his loving tender voice, he continued, "In the Ghost Zone, there is a story about two lovers who perished beneath a willow tree after declaring their undying love to one another before the girl's jealous fiance shot them both in the heart, unable to accept that she would never love him and wanted to deny them any happiness together. And as their blood flowed into the soil the tree wept for them and prevented anyone from separating their bodies by pulling the two lovers down to protect them between their roots. This killed the tree unfortunately but the ghost of the tree, touched by the power of their unyielding devotion even in death, came back in the Ghost Zone in the form of this exotic plant. Legend says this plant embodies the rare power I spoke of that can only exist between true lovers, soulmates, and it helps bring out and enhances those feelings through the perfumed scent of its bark. And after last night, I truly believe that this will help bring us even closer together...Danielle."

Feeling my heart rate skyrocket when Vlad turned to me and cupped his hands on my cheeks, I shyly looked away and muttered, "Vlad, you didn't need to bring in some fairytale plant to know that I'm yours. I've felt this way about you from the start but I denied it at first because of the way you were acting. You've changed though, and you said last night that the power we created together when our transformation rings touched was a sign that the bond between has deepened to the point where it's effecting our ghost halves so why would we need to get any closer besides the obvious?"

Drifting off and adopting a seductive lilt to my voice, I turned my head back to face him and reached up to pull his face towards mine so we could kiss. His breath was hot with a hint of spice like cinnamon and Vlad eagerly deepened the kiss, our tongues wrestling for dominance. As if reading each other's minds we floated off the ground and began gliding back towards the bed and I felt him press his body flush against mine, Vlad's body heat almost oppressive and yet, welcoming. Moaning into his mouth I lowered my hands to help undo the sash of his silk robe and to my delight, he was already bare-chested underneath it so I slid my hands over his chest and corded stomach muscles, curving my arms around the small of his back to pull his hips closer to me.

Pulling away to catch his breath and let me do the same, I watched as Vlad slowly began disrobing so that he was only in his fancy silk bottoms and briefs. I've seen him shirtless before but somehow the blue light around us instead of the dim glow of a fire or pale moonlit shadows made him look...more exotic. It reminded me of his ghost form too since his skin was naturally bluish and that got me curious so I asked him, "Hey Vlad...have you ever thought of doing this with me in ghost form? I mean, we can...if you want to."

Smiling down at me, Vlad pondered it for a moment but suddenly seemed unsure as the memory of the way Freakshow copied his ghostly appearance seemed to flash across his mind. Resting a hand over his heart, Vlad admitted, "I won't deny that I have considered it but...doesn't it frighten you? After all, unlike your ghost form mine is far more monstrous, as if reflecting all of the hatred I used to feel. But you..." brushing the fingers of his other hand across my cheek and reminding me that I was still in ghost form myself to conceal my final_ 'surprise'_ from him, he said, "You look beautiful and radiant no matter what form you take."

Leaning into his touch I nodded, "It's alright, I've already accepted all of you but if you're not ready I understand."

"Thank you, my dear," Vlad smiled again, relaxing again.

Smiling back, I transformed into my human form again to show him my outfit and I was not disappointed by the adventurous glint in his eyes. I couldn't bring myself to buy a nightgown but I did buy this attractive satin cami set of pajamas that was, ironically, midnight or royal blue. There was a black set I almost bought but they were too lacy and this set fit better anyway. I felt more comfortable in it too since it came with shorts, which helped me not feel quite as girly but I still hoped I looked sexier in this as opposed to my baggy pajama bottoms and a tank top on hot nights and a too big button up top during the winter.

My legs were still mostly exposed so Vlad reached down to pull my legs up and stroke my thighs and I shivered. "Surprise Vlad..." I barely breathed out before gasping again when his hands slid down to the underside of my thighs, "I-I know you think my normal undergarments are boring and plain so I tried to get something nicer for you."

"I'm honored," Vlad cooed, kissing my kneecap.

Eyeing his every movement I asked breathlessly, already reaching down to the hem of my blouse to lift it up over my head, "Would you mind helping me undress? I'll take the top, you take the bottom..."

Sliding his hands down the sides of my legs to rest on my hips to hook his fingers under the elastic at my waist, Vlad nodded, "As you wish."

We started pulling at the same time and thankfully for me, now that my hair was shorter the top I was wearing was much easier to take off and I gently let it slip through my fingers over the side of the bed and watched as Vlad pulled the bottoms up as high as they could go in this position before he phased them through my legs and likewise dropped them off the side of the bed. I was still wearing my bra and underwear of course but he needed to finish undressing too so Vlad pulled back from me and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his silk bottoms and while he was thinking about it, Vlad stood up to retrieve something from the dresser and when I saw what it was I shook my head.

"Vlad...I know this is probably really stupid of me but I...I don't want you to use a condom. I want to feel you inside of me, naturally," I blushed, my heart hammering again as it sunk in what I was suggesting.

"Danielle, we can't afford to take that risk," Vlad said, leaving no room for argument although his voice sounded pained and yet serious at the same time. "We still don't know enough about our condition has the only two ghost hybrids in existence to know if you even CAN bear children. And anyone can tell you it only takes one time to impregnate a woman. That said, I do have something that helps prevent it, hopefully, but I only intended to use it should your mother and I actually...do the deed once your father was out of the way as a safety precaution."

Oh great, more drugs, I mentally groaned but I didn't say anything aloud and argued, "Well, I'm a hybrid too so it should work on me just as easily as it'd work on you. Is it like a shot or...an implant?"

"It's an implant, I thought it would be safer than a drug and easier to put inside undetected," glancing at me thoughtfully, Vlad seemed to reconsider the idea and said, "Hmm, well, so long as you don't phase it out by accident I suppose we could try it. We already know from our first meeting that you do not respond well to drugs so perhaps you're right. However, I will ask you this one more time Danielle. Is this what you really want? There's still the risk of it not working."

"I'm tired of living in fear Vlad," I said stubbornly, "We can still be careful without being paranoid, right? I just...don't want anything to get in the way of this, not even a silly condom." Hugging my stomach I bit my lip and sighed, "I'm sorry...I guess I'm being too selfish aren't I? Just forget it."

Frowning, Vlad turned to face me and knelt in front of me, looking up at me as he explained, "No Danielle, I'm happy you're being more bold and selfish, I just don't want you to regret this later like what happened at my villa. I want you to stay safe, happy, and enjoy this even if we have to set some boundaries for our own protection. Nothing would make me happier than giving you natural pleasure but there are still risks, potentially life-threatening ones should any child you bear also be a halfa. These powers are ingrained in our DNA my dear, and as such, whether you make love to me or...someone else, this is a very real risk you face. I'm only trying to protect you."

My eyes softening, I hugged him and rested my chin on the top of his head and said, "I know. But I still want this. We...may not get another chance to do this for a long time so I want to hold onto this moment until we can be together again."

* * *

In the end, Vlad did the procedure with the implant and the weird part is that I couldn't feel it at all. He phased it into my arm and we did a few tests and it seemed to be staying in place since it was calibrated to react to my vitals and take care of...things. So either way, I felt confident and smiled at Vlad, trying to ease his troubled heart.

Straddling his hips since Vlad was sitting beside me to insert the implant, I lifted myself onto my knees, holding each side of his head as I mischievously pulled his hair out of its usual ponytail and ran my hands through those soft silver locks, almost purring, "Now, where were we?"

I gasped when instead of responding with words Vlad wrapped his arms around my waist, fingers digging into my back as he peppered my chest and stomach with kisses. When he did speak his voice was husky with desire and turned me on even more as he asked, "My god Danielle could you be any more of a temptress?"

"Only when I'm with you," I replied hotly, hugging his head close to my body and laughing, "After all, you wanted me to be a little more selfish didn't you?"

"So I did," Vlad smiled wickedly, his hands trailing up my spine and I arched my back to feel them more and slide back down to a sitting position on his hips as he leaned forward again to bury his face in my chest, breathing heavily.

Sensing his desire I kissed the top of his head and then reached behind to undo the clasps on my bra, letting Vlad help me remove the garment to toss in the growing pile of discarded clothing on the floor. Soon after his lips peppered my bare chest with more kisses until they settled over one of my nipples and Vlad began sucking and twirling his tongue around it. His hand reached up to cup my other breast and he began pinching and twisting it too, making them hard. I've never done this before but it felt good after awhile so I moaned his name, begging for more.

"Oh Vlad, that feels so good. Touch me more...ah...mmmm...your tongue is...oh yeah, so good..."My eyes rolling slightly, I looked down at Vlad as he suckled on my other nipple now and I wanted to make him feel good too so I reached down to his shaft which was already getting hard and pulled it free, wrapping my hands and pumping just like I remember doing before. I could feel his hips jerking up to meet mine but I wasn't ready to let him inside yet.

In a dizzying blur of movement, Vlad hooked his arms around me and pinned me to the bed, his eyes gleaming with desire which made me let go of his shaft in shock. But I submitted and watched as Vlad slowly crawled down, his hands on the sides of my underwear now and this time he was able to pull them off with ease without using ghost powers and then Vlad straightened himself up much like I did and lowered his pants and boxers at the same time, showing me how hard he was and tossed both garments aside. I began breathing more heavily too as Vlad pulled himself back up to eye level with me and pulled me into a deep kiss.

After breaking from it once more, Vlad wrapped his arms around me and said, "Danielle, I love you. I love you so much. I don't want this to end either. You make me feel so alive. I haven't felt this way with a woman before in my entire life. The things you do to me...Danielle..."

Kissing his neck and cheek I ran my fingers through his loose hair again and smiled, "I love you too Vlad. And I'm glad we met. Because I feel safe with you and like I can trust you with my life now so...trusting you with my body is just another natural step. And together, we'll find out what all of this means for us. But there's something else I want...Vlad," meeting his gaze I told him passionately, "This is something only you can give me. I want you inside of me, Vlad. You claimed me once before when I gave into my urges but I was angry and confused and didn't know how I felt about you. Now I do. So now I'm giving you permission. Don't hold back anymore. Show me exactly how much I mean to you."

"Are you sure?" Vlad asked in a deadly serious tone.

Nodding I pulled him flush against me and said, "I don't want to be haunted by regrets for the rest of my life. So let this be something I decide for myself just like how I chose to use my powers to protect people. And if I can protect your heart by letting you know I'm the one person that will never leave you, then that makes me happy. You, make me happy..."

Kissing my lips and tearfully cupping his hands around my face, Vlad positioned himself and started to slide his shaft inside of me and my hips bucked, my body ready and eager to be claimed. Turning my head so I could bury it in his shoulders as Vlad wrapped his arms around me and started thrusting, I grabbed a fistful of his hair, raising my knees and parting my legs to let more of him inside. This was so much more intense than the first time and he plunged into me again and again, hardening fast. I had long since orgasmed around him, unable to hold back, making each pump easier but even so I bucked my hips to meet Vlad's thrusts and screamed his name.

"Danielle, oh my love, it's so hot and tight inside of you. I could make love to you all night!" Vlad screamed, sounding as drunk with desire as I was. "All I've ever wanted was this! Just this! Finally, I can love someone who loves me back!"

"Yes! Yes! Ah, that's the spot, right there, harder Vlad! HARDER!"At almost the exact moment I screamed that Vlad froze and thrust his hips forward I could feel his cum shooting inside of me, filling me like a deep wellspring of his undying love. Oh, there was so much! Yet I wanted more so I thrust my hips more, milking him, and riding the waves of pleasure and ecstasy along with Vlad as he pumped more of it inside of me.

And for the rest of the night, we made sweet and passionate love to each other, trying out many things as if this was to be our last night together for all eternity. We drove ourselves mad with lust and passion and I pleasured him as many ways as I could think of. At one point Vlad even made a human-looking duplicate that hilted me from behind as I sucked him off. It was wonderful, feeling his hands all over my body, leaving no area untouched, and likewise I explored his body, committing it to memory. Because on lonely nights, I wanted this moment to haunt my dreams. I wanted the memory burned into my body and soul like a brand that marked me as his so that no spell could ever make me forget who the most precious person in my life was...

Vlad Masters, my one and only true love and soulmate.


End file.
